As the offseason wraps up, Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer is back in Seattle and participating in a hockey camp with 50 young goaltenders.
Grubauer spoke about what the camp was like to NHL.com.
“It was a full range of ages; the youngest were five and six years old, ranging up to 18 and 19 years old,” Grubauer said. “It was great to get out there. The range of kids and skill levels started with young kids who just started playing the position a month ago, trying it out, to older goalies super-aware about how they can get better at the position.”
The camp supported young players hoping to get experience and develop their skills. Grubauer further explained what went into the camp.
“I was going through the stations and took a peek at one guy or two, then moved to the next station and watched another three or four goalies,” said Grubauer. “I tried to help the goalies out with a bunch of ideas and tips. Every kid has a different thing they would need to improve on.”
Grubauer is entering the final year of his six-year contract in Seattle. The 34-year-old has spent five seasons in Seattle, after six with the Washington Capitals and three with the Colorado Avalanche. Grubauer was drafted 112th overall in the 2010 NHL Draft by the Capitals.
He will enter the final year of his contract in Seattle this season.
Visit The Hockey News Seattle Kraken team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
THN.com/free
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 on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.
TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 20: Leo Komarov #47 of the Toronto Maple Leafs hits the post of Roberto Luongo #1 of the Florida Panthers during the third period at the Air Canada Centre on February 20, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Apologies for taking a bit to get around to this one, but thought it made sense to take a look at who our new goalie management team is. First, Let’s meet Leo Luongo who joins the Devils as the New Head of Goaltending Excellence, following Sunny from Florida and taking the same name. I always get a little chuckle when companies create names for departments like this, my department was rebranded a “center of excellence” a few years ago, so hey why not.
Background
Born on July 24, 1984, in Montreal, Quebec, Luongo more or less jumped right into coaching from a young age (24). He started in the QMJHL in 2008-09 with Acadie-Bathurst where he would spend 5 seasons. In 2012-13, he jumped to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch as a consultant before moving overseas to Switzerland, working with the HC Lugano program from 2013-16. Luongo worked up and down the Lugano’s program, serving as the goaltending coach for the U15 to U20 teams, and the professional HC Lugano club.
He would return stateside in 2016-17 and spent 6 seasons with the Springfield Thunderbirds as a goaltending and video coach before joining the Florida organization and his brother Roberto. He has spent the past 10 seasons with the Florida Panthers organization at the AHL and NHL levels which included player development and goaltending coaching. In 2024-25 He was a member of Florida’s then newly created Goaltending Excellence Department, which worked with all the organization’s goaltenders on scouting and development. He added the responsibilities as Head of Goalie Development and Scouting for the past two seasons and as we are all aware has 2 Stanley cup rings to show for it.
He’s worked with some notable veteran and young goalies alike, most notably Spencer Knight, Alex Lyon, Sam Montembault (while with Springfield) as well as veterans like his brother Roberto and Bobrovsky of late. He has also worked closely with legendary goaltending coach Rob Tallas, which is encouraging. In my research I stumbled across an interesting little story about Leo and Roberto from 2016, and how integral Leo was in getting his brother ready for the season, a season where Luongo posted a .915 sv pct.
Role with the Devils
Luongo now oversees all goaltending development and reports to Marty, the EVP and head of Hockey Operations. His responsibilities will include will work new Devils goalie coach Dan Stewart, Utica Goaltending Coach Brian Eklund, and New Jersey’s Head Amateur Goalie Scout/Development Coach Manny Legace – so he will have a hand in every goalie, current and future.
My Thoughts
This is another move that I like on paper from the Mehta regime, but I won’t pretend to know or understand the nuance that goes into it, what kind of impact he will have and only time will tell if it’s its successful. I like his pedigree, I like how he has grinded in the minors and Europe, and I like the goalies he has worked with. That is really all you can ask for, and dare I say – adding a layer in between Marty and the hands-on coaching is a good thing.
In terms of this upcoming year, I will be profiling Dan Stewart shortly, who will probably have a larger immediate impact. I touched on Sunny’s moneyball bet on Daws, Allen and Rittich (does R.A.D. work? I dunno, we’ll workshop that). If there is one position that analytics has dramatically affected it is goaltending in two ways. First, goalies have become more and more homogenous: they all butterfly, they all RVH, they all get big and play the percentages. Second, front offices are realizing that unless you have one of 3-4 guys and have an absolute stud, you are better off spending your money on the skater group and playing better in front of the goalies.
As the Senators enter a new season, one of their biggest areas of strength is their depth at centre. There may not be a Hart Trophy candidate in there, but there’s some serious quality throughout the group.
Ten years ago, the Senators probably envisioned 18-year-old Logan Brown now being the best of this group in 2026, a skilled veteran leading the way for younger centres.
But it's a vision that never came close to reality.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss Jake Sanderson's standing among the best defensemen in the game.
At the 2016 Draft, the Senators were so excited to draft Brown that they didn't even want to risk waiting one more pick.
Pierre Dorion, less than two months into his new job as Sens GM, held the 12th overall selection. Worried that the New Jersey Devils would take Brown at 11, Dorion sent them a third-round pick for the right to switch spots with them and select the Windsor Spitfires star at No. 11.
When you think about it, the Devils' willingness to make that deal might hint that Brown wasn't actually going to be their selection. But you never know.
Brown was seen as one of the best prospects in the draft. So expectations were high. The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy summed it up in our 2026 draft review issue.
"The Senators liked Logan Brown so much they traded up one spot to ensure they'd get him in the draft. The son of Ottawa 67's coach Jeff Brown was thrilled to go to the team he cheered for as a kid. Everyone involved will be even more thrilled if the 6-foot-6 center turns out to be the second coming of Joe Thornton."
Ten years later, and with all due respect, the Senators would have settled for the second coming of Joe Veleno.
The Senators weren't alone in seeing Brown's upside. He had 74 points in 59 games with Windsor in his draft year, and towering centres with skill don't come along too often.
But after draft day, it was one battle after another on the injury front. And even when healthy, it was clear that his skating needed further development.
Because of those two factors, he played just 30 NHL games for the Senators over four years. But his agent, Andy Scott, had another opinion of the situation right after the Sens cut him from training camp in 2019.
"I can say with full confidence, that I've really never seen another player met with such resistance by the team that drafted them early in the first round," Scott told TSN 1200 radio.
Scott pointed to the fact that the Senators were in the middle of a rebuild and were promoting "The Kids are All Right" as their slogan, arguing that if that was the case, maybe they should, you know, actually play the kids.
Brown did play 23 games with Ottawa that year, while putting up 8 points. In Belleville, he thrived with 28 points in 25 games, but as has been the case in every season of his career, it too was shortened by injury.
During training camp in 2021, five years after they drafted him, the Senators turned the page. They traded Brown to the St. Louis Blues for one season of forward Zach Sanford.
Going to St. Louis, where Brown spent a lot of years growing up, seemed like an ideal fresh start. He played a career-high 39 NHL games for the Blues in 2021-22, putting up 11 points. Brown played another 30 games for St. Louis in 2022-23, finishing with two goals and six points.
Those remain the last NHL games he's played. And while he's proven to be an excellent producer in the AHL, injuries have continued to leave him playing only small parts of seasons.
Brown signed a one-year deal with Tampa in the summer of 2023, but injuries wiped out his entire 2023-24 season. The following year, he signed an AHL contract with Syracuse and had a solid comeback season, recording 29 points in 33 games.
That was enough to convince Los Angeles to sign him to a one-year, two-way deal in July 2025. He played just 29 games for Ontario, posting 14 points.
As of this writing, Brown remains an unrestricted free agent.
Of course, criticizing a draft decision 10 years after the fact is super easy. Literally every NHL team has a long list of draft stories they'd like to rewrite.
But if the Brown pick feels like it has a little extra sting to it, there are a couple of reasons for that:
They gave up a third-round pick for the right to make an ill-fated decision.
Some pretty good players were still sitting right there.
Charlie McAvoy went three picks after Brown, 14th overall, to Boston. He's gone on to become a fantastic, hard-edged NHL defenceman, playing more than 570 games and producing more than 350 points.
And if they were really set on a skilled, 6-foot-6, 220-pound centre, Tage Thompson was still on the board too. Thompson took five years to pop as an NHL player, but he's become a star as well.
We also don't have to just cherry-pick the stars from that draft. If we're being honest, almost every first-rounder that year went on to play more NHL games than Brown's 99.
In fairness to Dorion and his crew, Brown wasn't some wild reach in 2016. He was a highly regarded prospect with a rare combination of size and skill, and the Senators weren't alone in believing he could become an impact player.
He's still only 28, so maybe his hockey story still has a chance for a happy ending. Stranger things have happened.
In the meantime, 10 years later, it's still fascinating to look back and wonder what might have been.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the latest headlines below:
The Columbus Blue Jackets have officially been ranked as one of the NHL's worst teams right now, as Proteau gave them the No. 27 spot.
"Columbus needed a big 2026 off-season, and they didn’t get it. That’s why the Blue Jackets are in 27th place in TheHockeyNews.com’s off-season ranking," Proteau wrote.
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Dante Fabbro is of Italian-Canadian descent and has been chosen to be the Grand Marshal of the 2026 Columbus Italian Festival Parade.
The parade will be on October 11th at 1 PM. The parade begins at Goodale Park in Victorian Village and will end at the festival grounds in Italian Village.
Josh Anderson - "The Andy Man" wore #53 when he first started playing games in Columbus. Anderson played a total of 267 games for the Blue Jackets, spread over six seasons. He scored 65 goals and totaled 115 points during his time with Columbus.
The 2018-19 season saw Anderson set career highs in goals, assists, and points. Unfortunately for him, he was never able to replicate that in Columbus. The following year, he tore his shoulder in December and had to have season-ending surgery, which wasn't decided until March.
Craig Rivet - 2011 - Originally drafted by Montreal in 1992, where he played the first 12 years of his career, he came to the Jackets at the end of his career in 2004. Rivet, who was the captain of the Buffalo Sabres at the time, was waived by Buffalo on February 23, 2011. On February 26, 2011, Rivet was claimed on re-entry waivers by the Jackets, where he played in 14 games and totaled 1 point. After announcing his retirement in October of 2011, he signed with the ECHL's Elmira Jackals. It was later discovered that he signed the contract to obtain his United States permanent residency.
Andy Murray - 2007-11 - Murray was drafted in the 8th round of the 2001 NHL draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets as a Center.
After playing four years at Bemidji State University, Murray turned pro and played for the Syracuse Crunch for two seasons before making his NHL Debut during the 2007-08 season. In his rookie year, he played in 39 games and totaled 10 points.
He played three more seasons in Columbus and played in 181 games. He scored 23 goals and totaled 36 points during his time with the CBJ.
Joakim Lindström - 2006 - Lindström was drafted by Columbus in the 2nd round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
Lindström made his North American debut in the last game of the 04-05 season for the Syracuse Crunch, the CBJ's AHL team. In the 05-06 season, he would make his Blue Jackets debut and play in three games. In 2008, after playing just 37 games, Lindström was traded to the Anaheim Ducks.
Marc Methot - 2006-12 - Methot was drafted by the Blue Jackets in the 6th round of the 2003 NHL Draft.
Methot played six years and 275 games for the CBJ, totaling 51 points on the Columbus blue line. He was the definition of a defensive defenseman.
On July 1, 2012, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators for future CBJ Captain Nick Foligno. After the trade to Ottawa, he would play another 349 NHL games.
Aaron Johnson - 2003-07/2011-12 - Johnson was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.
Johnson played 172 games for the Jackets over two stints. Scouts said of Johnson was "A puck-moving defenseman, Johnson is a very good skater. Has good offensive instincts and can quarterback the power play. Can play a tough and physical game. Needs to improve his play in his own end."
The Columbus Blue Jackets have 46 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #46.
Let's take a look.
Tim Jackman - 2003-04 - Jackman was drafted by the Blue Jackets in the 2nd round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.
Jackman made his debut in December of 2003 after spending the previous year and the start of the 2003 season with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL.
After playing just 19 career NHL games with Columbus, Jackman was traded to the Arizona Coyotes on October 8, 2005. Jackman went on to play 12 NHL seasons and 483 games. He played 288 AHL games and had 138 points for five different teams. Jackman retired in 2023.
After retiring, Jackman moved into coaching, where he would coach for
Minnesota State Univ. (Mankato) as an Assistant, and for
Northstar Christian Academy at different levels.
Filip Novák - 2006-07 - Novák was picked in the second round of the 2000 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers. He is described as "an offensive defenseman. He can pass and move the puck very well and is a good skater. He needs to make the simple play more, though, and not try to force things."
On August 8, 2006, Novák signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets as an unrestricted free agent. During the 05-06 season, Novák would spend most of the season playing for the Syracuse Crunch, appearing in 67 games and scoring 37 points as a defenseman. He would only play in six games for Columbus and collect zero points.
Novák left North America to play in his home country of Czechia. He would remain in Europe until he retired in 2018.
Tomáš Káňa - 2009-10 - Káňa was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2006 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues.
On December 8, 2009, Tomas was traded by St. Louis, along with Brendan Bell, to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Pascal Pelletier. After coming to Columbus, he was sent to Syracuse, where he would play 50 games for the Crunch and total 28 points. He also played 11 games for the Alaska Aces of the ECHL and collected 6 points in 11 games.
Káňa was called up by Columbus after having a very good year in Syracuse and would play in six games for the Blue Jackets and total 2 points.
After playing the 2010-11 season for the Springfield Falcons, he left North America for Europe. He has played in various leagues in different countries ever since. He is signed to play for HK Opava in Czechia's 3rd-tier league in 26-27.
Dean Kukan - 2015-22 - Kukan is undrafted out of Volketswil, Switzerland.
Dean Kukan made his NHL debut in March of 2016 after playing the majority of the season with the Lake Erie Monsters. After playing in 8 games near the end of the season, he was sent back to Lake Erie and would help the Monsters win their first-ever Calder Cup. He had 5 points in 17 playoff games.
Kukan would bounce up and down between Columbus and Cleveland until 2022. He would play a total of 153 games for the CBJ and total 30 points. Where he excelled was in the minors, though. He played in 142 games for Lake Erie/Cleveland and totaled 59 points as a fairly skilled two-way defenseman.
After the 2022 season, Kukan made the decision to return to Europe. He returned to his home country of Switzerland to play for his original club, the ZSC Lions, on a five-year contract.
Kukan is also routinely chosen to represent Switzerland in international competitions. He played in the 2025 IIHF Worlds, where he scored 9 points in 10 games, and played five games in the 2026 Olympics.
Joona Luoto - 2022-23 - Luoto is undrafted out of Tampere, Finland.
Joona Luoto was signed by the Blue Jackets in June of 2022 as a free agent. Before signing in Columbus, he had played in the Winnipeg Jets organization in 2019-20.
A Finn playing for the Jets and Blue Jackets. Sound Familiar? Well, it should, because Luoto and fellow Finn, CBJ, and Jet Patrik Laine are good friends. They also hail from the same town in Finland. There were rumors that former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen signed him to make Laine more comfortable in Columbus.
Luoto would wind up playing 45 games for Cleveland, scoring 14 goals and totaling 25 points. He played a total of seven games for the CBJ and had 1 point, a goal.
Luoto returned to Europe in 23-24 and signed on to play for SC Bern of the Swiss National League. He is signed on to play for HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League and is an assistant Captain.
Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!
Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.
Let us know what you think below.
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. Share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.
Welcome to The Hockey News - Vancouver Canucks site’s 2026–27 player preview article series. This series will outline the expectations for every player projected to play for the Canucks during the 2026–27 season. Today’s player is Canucks forward Jonathan Lekkerimäki.
Lekkerimäki’s 2025–26 Season
Let’s revisit the summer of 2025, when Brock Boeser was expected to hit unrestricted free agency, and Vancouver was looking to get back to the playoffs. Much of the discussion was around who could replace Boeser’s goal-scoring prowess in the lineup, with many eyes on Lekkerimäki. If there was anyone who could potentially replace Boeser in the Canucks’ lineup, it would have been Lekkerimäki.
Of course, that’s not how the story went. Vancouver managed to re-sign Boeser on July 1st, and as it turned out, it was a good thing that they didn’t have Lekkerimäki jump straight into his role in the lineup. The 22-year-old started the season on a good note, scoring in the season opener, but suffered an injury that sidelined him until the middle of November. After that, he was sent down to Abbotsford to resume his season in the AHL.
Once sent down, Lekkerimäki played his best hockey of the season, and perhaps his best hockey during his time in the Canucks organization, finishing his AHL season with 20 points in 21 games, including 13 goals. He was called up for two more brief stints in Vancouver but couldn't replicate his AHL production. Lekkerimäki scored twice and recorded only three points in 13 games with the NHL club. He was sent back down on February 4 and, on February 21, underwent shoulder surgery that ended his season.
Lekkerimäki’s 2026–27 Predictions
Lekkerimäki is heading into a huge year. He just turned 22 and, so far, has played only 37 NHL games, recording just nine points. He has dealt with injuries, but other players from his draft class, such as Frank Nazar, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Danila Yurov, are already making an impact in the NHL. Ultimately, Lekkerimäki needs to find a way to become a full-time NHLer during the upcoming campaign.
Lekkerimäki has expectations coming into this season, not just because of his draft position, but because players drafted near him are developing faster. With Manny Malhotra as head coach, he should be familiar with the new system. Developing Lekkerimäki should be a priority for the Canucks this season.
One huge variable for a Lekkerimäki breakout is how he recovers from his shoulder injury. That will indicate how well he plays this season. Shoulder injuries are a concern for players, especially those who rely on their shot as much as Lekkerimäki does.
Lekkerimäki has already proven he can score. He has the shot and the puck skills, but he’s only shown them in the AHL. Lekkerimäki has to prove that he can produce at the NHL level. If he stays healthy and is given the ice time, scoring 20 goals shouldn’t be out of the question. He’s a player entering a huge year in his career and has to prove to Vancouver that he’s going to be a key part of the future.
Bold prediction: Lekkerimäki scores 25 goals this season.
Jan 31, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki (23) during a stop in play against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
If you are still holding out some hope for Michael Hage to join the Montreal Canadiens this season, you can stop. On the latest edition of the Basu and Godin Notebook, Arpon Basu and Marc-Antoine Godin interviewed Brandon Naurato, Hage’s coach with the Michigan Wolverines. They asked him if the Habs prospect would be back with the Big-10 club for a junior year, and the coach didn’t hesitate to say he would be. He added that he wasn’t speaking for Hage, but that it was what the youngster told him and that he trusted him. There’s no denying the Canadiens would have loved to have Hage now, and Jeff Gorton's comments saying that a lot can change over an offseason and the youngster may change his mind clearly showed that.
As for concerns about whether Hage can be a center at the NHL level, Naurato explained that last season, the centerman played only two games out of 40 on the wing when he skated with T.J. Hughes, and those were the games the market focused on. With all the attention Hage is getting, it’s not surprising that a market as hockey-mad as Montreal should focus on and analyze his every move and the smallest development.
The most interesting part of the interview, however, was probably when the coach discussed Hage’s decision to come back to Michigan. He made it clear that it was the prospect’s choice to go back to Michigan for a junior year, but also explained that the path ahead won’t be that easy. He brought up the very good point that when he makes the jump to the NHL with the Canadiens, he won’t join a team that just drafted first overall and is rebuilding; he’ll be joining a team that wants results, which makes it even more important for him to be ready to make the jump.
As for the notion that Hage is going back for another year in College because he’d make more money there, Naurato swiftly brushed that aside, saying that might be true for basketball or football athletes. Still, it absolutely isn’t for hockey players. The coach also confirmed that Alex Hage, Michael’s brother, is still committed to playing with Michigan, but not this year; he’ll spend another season in the OHL, and Naurato added that his brother was never a factor in the Canadiens’ prospect’s decision to go back for another year.
This interview, coupled with what Hage said at development camp, makes it clear the delay is about the player becoming the best version of himself so he can perform in the NHL right away when he joins. Hage doesn’t want to have to bounce between leagues; he wants to make his mark and stay in the NHL right away.
Of course, that decision might have thrown a spanner in the works for the Canadiens, as they were expecting him to make the jump after last season, but in the long run, it should allow the Habs to have a much more complete player on their hands when he does make the jump.
The interview is well worth a listen, and if you haven’t subscribed to the Basu and Godin Notebook podcast, you should really consider it.
It's officially another season, another prospects ranking for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In years past, this has been a bit easier of an exercise, as there used to be a more clear-cut line between prospects with NHL upside and longshots. However, because of the work that general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas and his staff have put in during the last several years, the line is blurring a whole lot more - and there is a substantially higher volume of talent in the system.
This time around, making a top-20 list was challenging. So, a few criteria were put into place: To make our list, prospects must be under the age of 26 and have played less than 50 NHL games. This excludes names such as Ben Kindel, Filip Hallander, Oliver Okuliar, and Alexander Alexeyev.
Defenseman Tomas Galvas came in at No. 11 on our list, as his offensive upside has top-four potential. As we transition into the top-10 on our list, we look at a center whose bad injury luck is, really, the only reason he hasn't found himself in a more full-time NHL role up to this point.
Yes, this is a different order from the one shared on our episode of the Pucks N'at Podcast last week. Putting out a rankings list of Penguins' prospects is no easy task nowadays, and sometimes, minds are changed after more thought.
So, here, we begin our top-10 this year with center prospect Tristan Broz.
It has been a trying two years for Broz, who was selected 58th overall by the Penguins in 2021. In the midst of a solid 2024-25 campaign, Broz contracted mononucleosis and missed nearly two months of action, with the long recovery process not doing him any favors, either. Last season, two different injuries limited him to 47 AHL games last year and stunted any NHL call-up opportunities.
If Broz and the Penguins had it their way the past two years, the 23-year-old would already have a much more sizable NHL sample rather than just one game, which came on Nov. 26, 2025 against the Buffalo Sabres. So far, it hasn't panned out that way.
But if Broz manages to remain healthy this season, he could quickly become a regular part of the NHL lineup, and he should be one of the prospects vying for a roster spot during training camp this season.
During the 2025-26 AHL regular season - despite all the missed time - Broz registered 16 goals and 39 points. He also went on to be WBS's leading scorer in the Calder Cup Playoffs with three goals and 11 points im 15 playoff games.
Broz is excellent on the penalty kill. He's effective on the power play. He's very conscientious, coordinated, and clean defensively. He can score goals and has a nice release. He can create. He can distribute. Really, there's not much Broz can't do, and his true all-around, two-way skillset makes him someone who should, theoretically, have a pretty high floor.
Of course, the question with Broz, like many young players transitioning full-time into the NHL, is whether or not he can distribute, create, score, and defend at NHL speed. He seems well-adjusted in terms of his transition to every level of hockey so far - including from the NCAA with the University of Denver to the AHL - but the NHL is a completely different beast.
But Broz has a head on his shoulders, and his cerebral play should serve him well. He may not have the highest ceiling of anyone in the system, but he's a pretty sure bet to be a full-time NHL player at worst.
Honestly, it was a tough decision to place him as low as he is on this list because he has the tools and the talent to be an effective NHL third-line center. He played as a winger in college, and he's still learning a lot at the center position. And, even if he doesn't pan out as a full-time NHL center, playing wing should open up even more offensive opportunity for him. But the fact that he's as injury-prone as he is brought him down a few notches.
So, what's next for Broz? Well, given that he turns 24 this season, he's at the point where he needs to make the most of his NHL minutes, even if some of that time has been robbed by injury already. If and when he is given an opportunity this season, look for Broz to make a whole lot of the right plays and the right reads and for him to be a responsible, reliable player in all three zones.
And, hey, even if the NHL roster space is a crowded place right now, never say never during training camp. Broz was probably good enough to make the team out of camp last season, so it's safe to assume he's going to make roster decisions in September very tough for the Penguins yet again.
The Buffalo Sabres got into the Stanley Cup playoffs last season after missing the playoffs for the previous 15 years. Buffalo also won the highly-competitive Atlantic Division in the regular-season last year, and the Sabres beat the Boston Bruins in the post-season’s opening round before losing to the Montreal Canadiens in Round 2.
There was much to like about the Sabres’ long-awaited growth last season. But in TheHockeyNews.com’s annual grades for Buffalo players, we’re also handing out grades for players who no longer are with the Sabres. And in today’s “Sabres Grades” file, we’re turning our attention to one of the centerpieces of one of this summer’s two big blockbuster trades for Buffalo – star defenseman Bowen Byram, who was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks in June for a package featuring the 2026 fourth-overall draft pick.
Playing behind Sabres star D-men Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, Byram’s opportunities in Buffalo were going to be more limited than what he’ll get with the Blackhawks. But just because Byram went on post-trade to sign a six-year contract extension paying him $12.5-million per-season with the Hawks, that doesn’t mean Byram had an A+ season. In fact, he still has room to grow his game before it gets to‘A’ territory.
But let’s focus on Byram’s 2025-26 impact, and see why he’s going to be judged by his lucrative new contract for the next half-dozen seasons in Chicago:
Bowen Byram
Position: Defense
Grade: B+
The Skinny: To be sure, Byram did many good things in his second-and-final full season in Buffalo. In 82 games last year, the 25-year-old generated new personal-bests in goals (11), points (42) and plus/minus (plus-15). And those totals came with Byram getting slightly-less time-on ice – averaging 22:20, down from 22:42 in 2024-25.
So, although Byram is going to be judged by his contract extension, the truth is he’s going to be paid $6.25-million next season before the extension kicks in next summer. And on a Blackhawks team desperate for playoff success, Byram is going to be paid as their top blueliner right away, and he’s going to be judged accordingly.
Byram’s 2025-26 totals were slightly better than his 2024-25 totals including seven goals and 38 points in 82 games. So you can see why some are calling his extension into question. Byram is a better-than-average D-man – and a much-better-than-average D-man at that. But he’s not a defenseman on the level of a Cale Makar with the Colorado Avalanche and Quinn Hughes with the Minnesota Wild. And fairly or unfairly, the change in his financial compensation means Byram is going to be judged against the performances of the crystal-clear best defensemen in the game today.
Did Byram have a good year in 2025-26? There’s no question. He found a new level for his game, and in 13 playoff games with Buffalo, he produced four goals and seven points. But that’s going to be the bare-minimum people expect out of Byram in Chicago, regardless of his change in salary next summer. And Byram isn’t close to the peak of his powers, so there definitely could be a world where he becomes more than a half-point-per-game player with the Blackhawks and a key contributor on an up-and-coming Hawks team.
And if that’s what he does for the Blackhawks next season, you can bet Byram’s grade from THN.com next summer will be at least an ‘A’.
Former members of the Vancouver Canucks will take the spotlight in this off-season article series. From those skating with new NHL teams heading into the 2026–27 season to those who are now playing for international clubs, these featured players have skated in at least one game at the NHL level as a member of the Canucks.
Today’s segment will take a look at the 11 former Canucks that are set to compete for teams in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division during the 2026–27 season.
While Chatfiled may have only played in 18 games with Vancouver, the defenceman was part of the Canucks organization for much longer than that. Prior to making the jump to the NHL with Vancouver, Chatfield playaed for the Canucks’ then-AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, from 2017–18 to 2019–20. After his 18 games with Vancouver in 2020–21, he signed with the Hurricanes in free-agency.
After five seasons with the Hurricanes, Chatfield became a Stanley Cup champion in 2025–26, winning the trophy alongside Carolina after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in six games during the Stanley Cup Final. The defenceman had a goal and seven assists in 19 post-season games. He’ll enter the final season of a three-year contract with the Hurricanes come the start of 2026–27.
As a Canuck, Garland quickly made a name for himself as a hustling, no-quit player who put effort into every shift that he played in. He set a new career-high in points in his first season with the Canucks in 2021–22, scoring 19 goals and 33 assists in 77 games. In every near full-season he played for Vancouver in, he consistently registered season point-totals of above 45.
Though he signed a six-year contract extension with Vancouver during the 2025 off-season, he was traded ahead of the 2026 Trade Deadline and now plays for the Blue Jackets. In his first 21 games with Columbus, he scored five goals and two assists. Four of these goals came within his first three games with his new team.
Danton Heinen, Columbus Blue Jackets
Vancouver acquired Heinen by signing him to a two-year contract during the 2024 free-agency period. The forward only ended up skating in 51 games for the Canucks though, scoring six goals and 12 assists, before he was shipped back to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a trade package for defenceman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor.
Heinen was traded once again in 2025, this time being sent to Columbus along with two picks in exchange for Egor Chinakov. The forward skated in 33 games with the Blue Jackets in 2025–26, putting up five goals and five assists. Columbus signed him to a one-year, $1M extension during the off-season.
Erik Gudbranson, Columbus Blue Jackets
A veteran defenceman who spent three seasons with the Canucks, Gudbranson came to Vancouver via trade with the Florida Panthers. In his first year with Vancouver, 2016–17, he averaged a near career-high of 20:20 minutes per game, but saw his ice time drop slowly in the following seasons. He was traded to the Penguins in 2019 in exchange for Tanner Pearson.
After stints with the Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators, and Calgary Flames, Gubranson seems to have found a fit in Columbus, having spent the past four seasons with the Blue Jackets and re-upping with the team with a one-year extension. In 2025–26, he scored a goal and two assists in 37 games but missed most of the season due to various injuries.
The captain of the Canucks for four of the nine seasons he spent with the team, Horvat quickly established himself as a leader as his time with Vancouver went on. The forward put up his first 20-goal season with Vancouver in 2016–17, registering his first 30-goal year in 2021–22. After 621 games with the Canucks, Horvat was traded to the Islanders in January of 2023.
After being acquired by New York, Horvat signed an eight-year contract that enters its fourth year at the start of the 2026–27 season. Though injuries slightly derailed his season, Horvat notched the fourth 30-goal season of his NHL career in 2025–26, putting up 31 goals and 26 assists in 68 games. He was also named to Canada’s 2026 Winter Olympic team.
Mar 3, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing J.T. Miller (8) controls the puck against New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Miller was acquired via draft-day trade in 2019, with the forward immediately setting a then career-high (72 points) in his first year with the Canucks in 2019–20. He continued to follow these efforts up with more career-highs in 2021–22 (99 points) and 2023–24 (103 points), before he was traded to the team that drafted him, the Rangers, in January of 2025.
Miller, who’d spent six seasons with New York in his first stint with the team, was named the captain of the Rangers at the beginning of the 2025–26 season. He scored 17 goals and 36 assists in 68 games with New York and also won a Gold medal with Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Including the 2026–27 season, Miller has four more years remaining on the seven-year contract he initially signed with Vancouver.
Marcus Pettersson, New York Rangers
Part of one of the most notable days in recent Canucks history, Pettersson was acquired in the second trade made by Vancouver on January 31, 2025. The defenceman was signed to a six-year contract extension only a couple of games after that, though he only ended up playing in one of them for Vancouver before being flipped to the Rangers for a 2030 first-round pick.
In his first and only full-season with the Canucks, Pettersson was one of only three players to skate in all 82 games for Vancouver. He put up three goals and 15 assists but struggled defensively at times. Pettersson still has five years remaining in his $5.5M AAV deal.
A former near 40-goal scorer for the Canucks, Kuzmenko was a highly sought-out free-agent when Vancouver first signed him in July of 2022. He put together an impressive 74-point campaign in his first NHL season in 2021–22 but quickly saw his play drop-off after. Kuzmenko was packaged up and sent to the Flames in the Elias Lindholm deal in 2023–24.
Since his time with the Canucks, Kuzmenko hasn’t quite hit that same offensive gear that he found in his first NHL season. He spent the 2025–26 season with the Los Angeles Kings, scoring 13 goals and 12 assists in 52 games. The forward missed a good chunk of the end of the regular season recovering from surgery for a torn meniscus, slotting in to play in one game during the Kings’ post-season run. He has since signed a one-year, $5M deal with the Penguins.
Artūrs Šilovs, Pittsburgh Penguins
Šilovs has had some of the most memorable moments in his career throughout the past few seasons, ranging from helping Latvia to their first medal at the IIHF World Championships in 2023, to being named MVP of the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs with Abbotsford. He made a name for himself in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs by backstopping Vancouver to Game 7 of the second-round after injuries to both Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith.
Traded to the Penguins during the 2025 off-season, Šilovs continued his stretch of notable play in pressure-filled situations by winning two of his three starts in Pittsburgh’s first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2026. He registered a SV% of .900 or higher in all three games, including allowing only one goal in the eventual series-clincher for the Flyers. With Stuart Skinner departing in free-agency, it appears Šilovs could take the role of starting goaltender for Pittsburgh.
One of three pieces acquired in the Horvat trade, Beauvillier spent a total of 55 games with the Canucks split over 2022–23 and 2023–24. He put together 11 goals and 17 assists during this span of time. In November of 2023, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2024.
A couple more trades resulted in Beauvillier finding his way to Washington, with whom he signed a two-year contract extension with in 2025. He played in all 82 games for the Capitals in his first full season with the team, doing so for the first time in his NHL career, and scoring 15 goals and 13 assists.
Vincent Desharnais, Washington Capitals
Signed and traded by the Canucks within the span of less than a season, Desharnais skated in 34 games in his time with Vancouver, recording three assists. He was traded to the Penguins as part of the Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor deal, finding himself on the move a month later after also being traded from Pittsburgh to the San Jose Sharks.
Desharnais stuck with the Sharks for the 2025–26 season, playing in 53 games and logging a career-high average of 18:11 minutes played per game. He also put together a goal and six assists in this span. Notably, he signed a four-year, $4.2M AAV contract with the Capitals during the 2026 free-agency period.
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.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have brought in multiple new players this off-season. Among the Penguins' newcomers is Hendrix Lapierre, as the Penguins acquired him from the Washington Capitals in exchange for 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick.
The Penguins trading for Lapierre comes after he posted four goals and 16 points in 74 games with the Capitals in 2025-26. Overall, it was a quiet year from the 2020 first-round pick, but there is reason to believe that he can turn things around in Pittsburgh.
In fact, at just 24 years old, the possibility of Lapierre breaking out and hitting a new level with the Penguins should not be ruled out.
A change of scenery can sometimes benefit a player, and that could end up being the case with Lapierre. With the Penguins being a retooling team that is focused on the future, it is likely that they are going to give the young forward plenty of chances to succeed.
Lapierre has also shown in the past that he has the potential to provide decent secondary offensive production. During the 2023-24 season with the Capitals, he recorded eight goal, 14 assists, and 22 points in 51 games. If he can tap into his offensive potential more with the Penguins, he could end up being a very solid addition to their group.
The Buffalo Sabres brought in a handful of new players this offseason. Among them is defenseman Louis Crevier, as they acquired him as part of the trade that sent Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks.
While Crevier was not the biggest name from this deal, he has the potential to be a very good addition to the Sabres' roster.
Crevier showed good promise this past season with the Blackhawks. In 78 games with the Original Six club, he set new career highs with seven goals, 18 assists, 25 points, and 124 hits. With numbers like these, he provided a nice mix of offensive production and grit to the Blackhawks' blueline.
However, when noting that this Crevier's first truly full season at the NHL level, it is fair to wonder if the 6-foot-8 defenseman can hit another new level. He entered last season with only 56 career games played over his two previous campaigns, so he is very much still in the early stages of his career. Because of this, it would not be surprising if he broke out even further next season now that he is more adjusted to the NHL level.
If Crevier can take another step forward, it would be significant for the Sabres. It will be interesting to see what kind of campaign he can put together for Buffalo from here.
There’s still a month to go until tee-off at the Montreal Canadiens annual golf tournament, but action is already heating up at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard. Players who didn’t spend the summer in town are already starting to return, including some who spent the summer in Europe, like Austrian prospect David Reinbacher.
De retour à Brossard ce matin!
Quelques joueurs sur la patinoire : Josh Anderson, Jake Evans, David Reinbacher, Ivan Demidov, Alexandre Carrier, Jayden Struble, Jakub Dobes (et Brendan Gallagher).
According to Dans les coulisses’ Marc-Olivier Cook, Josh Anderson, Jake Evans, Reinbacher, Ivan Demidov, Alexandre Carrier, Jayden Struble and Jakub Dobes were on the ice at the Canadiens’ practice rink on Thursday. Earlier this week, Jacob Fowler played in the LSHL; it's starting to smell like hockey again in Montreal.
Things will keep ramping up until rookie training camp kicks off, likely in early September, since the Habs will take part in the 2026 NHL Prospect Challenge in Gatineau on September 12 and 13. The Canadiens’ prospects will take on the Ottawa Senators’ and the Winnipeg Jets’ prospects. The game against the Jets will take place on Saturday, September 12, at 1:00 PM, and the one against the Sens on Sunday, September 13, at 6:00 PM.
Once that’s done, we’ll be getting nearer to the official start of the preseason, as the Canadiens will be playing five games on three days. How is that possible? Simply put, four of those five games will be split-squad games, including the last two on September 26 against the Senators. That means that, at that point, three days before the start of the regular season, the Habs will still have enough players to play two games at the same time—one in Ottawa and the other in Montreal.
Whichever way you look at it, this shorter preseason will mean that teams will be icing weaker sides; you won’t see a real NHL lineup until opening night on September 29 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The only preseason game that won’t be a split-squad affair is the one against the Sens in Trois-Rivières on September 21, the Kraft Hockeytown celebration game. The shorter preseason may let the league run a longer regular season with an 84-game calendar, but expect teams to need time to build real chemistry from the start.
There was a pretty clear idea of what Trent Frederic was supposed to be when the Edmonton Oilers brought him in.
He was a 6-foot-3, bottom-six forward who would finish checks, get physical, and provide enough offence to move around the lineup when necessary. Edmonton was paying for a player who would be involved every night.
Instead, they're paying for a player who's gone largely unnoticed.
Frederic has become an easy target in Edmonton with his $3.85 million cap hit. A player making that much money in the bottom six has to provide something consistently and Frederic hasn't scored enough, hasn't been physical enough, while too often has gone through games with little influence.
He could enter training camp fighting just to stay in the NHL. Frederic runs the real risk of getting paid $3.85 million a season to play in Bakersfield.
It's a remarkable position to be in considering what Edmonton thought they was getting.
Frederic is well-liked by his teammates and has never had a reputation as a problem in the room. By all accounts, he's a good guy who wants to get better. But fans watching a team with limited cap space pay nearly $4 million for a player who has become difficult to notice don't really care.
“I would say that’s fair,” Frederic told Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now. “I don’t think I started off great. [Playing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl], I think we were pretty good, playing with the two best players.
“But I don’t think I started off great. I just kind of got lost who I was. I didn’t really have much of an identity. So hopefully, I’ve gained some confidence just getting away from the game and enjoying it right now in the summer and having fun and working out and everything.”
Frederic has lost parts of his identity. His value has always depended on everything surrounding the offence, not becoming a high-end offensive player himself. He has to be around the puck, finish checks, win battles and give Edmonton a physical presence in games that call for one. When those things disappear, there isn't enough left in his game to make him particularly useful.
Kris Knoblauch never found a way to get that player back into the game, but maybe Mike Babcock can.
There should be very little confusion about what Babcock will expect from Frederic. He has spent his career demanding details from players and has never been reluctant to tell somebody when they aren't being good enough. And Frederic is the one player on this roster who unequivocally needs this.
If Frederic isn't scoring, he still has to affect the game physically. If he isn't getting many touches with the puck, he has to be noticeable on the forecheck. If Edmonton's better players are getting pushed around, Frederic can't be another player watching it happen.
Those were supposed to be the reasons he was brought here.
But that was last year. Frederic wasn't healthy enough to have a normal summer a year ago, something that put him behind before the season had even started.
“Going back last summer, I wasn’t able to skate until around probably now, started just barely getting on the ice again,” said Frederic. “For me, I think after the (Olympic) break, I would say I was probably as close as 100 per cent as I had been before the injury. I think it’s unfortunate that we lost early, but it’s been great for myself just to get a full summer of training hard and early skating, and at 100 per cent. It’ll be good.”
Frederic has had the summer to train properly, and he will arrive at camp healthy. Edmonton has enough competition in its bottom six that past performances on different teams won't be enough to guarantee anything.
The Oilers would probably be happy if Babcock can get Frederic back to being the player they thought they were acquiring.
Frederic can be very useful in the NHL. He can be difficult to play against, and there has been enough offence in his career to suggest he shouldn't be an automatic fourth-liner. What disappeared last season was any identity that made him the player he was.
A demanding coach is capable of bringing some of that back.
“I’m just excited to come back next year and have a fresh start and pretty excited to have Babs [Mike Babcock] and get kind of a complete fresh slate,” Frederic said.
He'll get one.
Babcock will give Frederic another opportunity, while making it clear what'll happen if he doesn't take advantage of it.
