Category: Ice Hockey

The National Hockey League has already listed its top 10 goalies, top 20 defensemen, top 20 wingers, and top 20 centers. Not everyone who made one of those lists is going to crack their list of the top 50 players, but the NHL is releasing a list made up of those previous lists put together. 

Numbers 50-41 were revealed on Sunday night. Chicago Blackhawks superstar Connor Bedard was on the list, checking in at number 44. Bedard was the only Blackhawks player to make one of the position-based lists, so it is correct to assume that he is the only one who will appear in the top 50. 

The NHL is incredibly deep with talent, so Bedard is surrounded by accomplished superstars in this realm of the list. Stanley Cup champions like Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart are ranked between 41 and 50, along with other team leaders like Nico Hischier, Wyatt Johnston, and Charlie McAvoy. 

NHL Network's Top 50 Players Right Now list kicks off with 50-41!

📺: #NHLTopPlayers Sundays on NHL Network pic.twitter.com/a0idyIq225

— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) August 31, 2026

Bedard wasn't on this list a year ago, so his 30-goal, point-per-game 2025-26 season made enough noise to get the attention of the folks who vote on it. His totals in 2026-27 will largely depend on how much time he misses from his shoulder injury at the start of the season, but his quality of play should take another step in year 4 of his NHL career. 

When Bedard is on the ice, he will have more support than he’s ever had at this level. At even strength, they will figure out which wingers make the most sense for him, but you can expect to see him on the top power-play unit with Patrick Kane and Bowen Byram. Beyond those three, there will be changing parts all throughout the year. 

This is far from the last time that Bedard will crack this list. In fact, this may be the lowest he will finish for the next decade or more. He has the potential to become a top-10 to 15 guy in the league. Only time will tell how long it takes to get there. 

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have 31 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #31. 

Let's take a look at today's edition, which is all about goalies. 

Ron Tugnutt - 2001-2002 - Drafted by Quebec in the 1986 NHL Draft. 

Tugnutt for President!! He played in 53 games for the Jackets in the first year of the franchise and went 22-25-5 with a .917 save %.

After two years with Columbus, he went on to play the final two years of his long career with the Dallas Stars and Utah Grizzlies of the AHL. 

He played 16 years and won 186 games in the NHL. After retiring, he went into coaching, working at various levels and leagues as a goaltending coach. 

Pascal Leclaire - 2004-2009 - Leclaire was drafted #8 overall in 2001 by Columbus.

He compiled a career record of 45-55-12 with Columbus and had a save % of .907%. The Jackets traded him to Ottawa on March 4, 2009, and he and a 2009 second-round pick went to Ottawa in exchange for Antoine Vermette. The pick the CBJ sent to Ottawa would wind up being Robin Lehner. Leclaire would retire on November 12, 2012. Leclaire was also in net for Columbus and gave up the first career goal to future Hall-of-Fame and all-time leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin. 

David LeNeveu - 2011 - Drafted by Phoenix in the 2002 NHL Draft. 

LeNeveu played in one game for Columbus during the 2010-11 season. He played one period and gave up 2 goals on 12 shots. He never played another NHL game after his time in Columbus and finished his career in the KHL in 2014-15. 

He bounced around different leagues before retiring, playing in Russia, Poland, and Slovakia. He was also the goaltending coach, President, Part-Owner, and Governor of the Nanaimo Clippers of the BCHL from 2014 to 2017. 

Shawn Hunwick - 2012 - Undrafted out of Sterling Heights, Michigan. 

Hunwick famously made one appearance for Columbus, playing 3 minutes on April 7, 2012. He relieved Steve Mason in a 7-3 Jackets win. He never played another NHL game and finished his career in Germany in 2013 after just one year of professional hockey. Hunwick announced his retirement from professional hockey on August 26, 2013.

Curtis McElhinney - 2014 - Drafted by Calgary in 2002. 

McElhinney could have been listed as the player who wore #31 the best. He started 66 games for the Jackets and came in to relieve the starters another 19 times. His career record with Columbus was 26-33-8. He went on to win a pair of Stanley Cups for the Tampa Bay Lightning, backing up starter Andrei Vasilevskiy. He retired on September 25, 2021.

He was the Toronto Maple Leafs Dir. of Goaltending from 2023 to 2026. 

Anton Forsberg - 2015-2017 - Drafted by Columbus in 2011. 

He played for the Columbus organization for three seasons but would only get 9 starts. In those 9 starts from 2014 to 2017, his record was 1-8. He really showed his worth during the 2015-16 season while playing for the Cleveland Monsters. He had a record of 23-10-6 and also went 9-0 in the Calder Cup Playoffs. He and former CBJ goalie Joonas Korpisalo guided the team to a Calder Cup Championship.

On 23 June 2017, he and Brandon Saad were part of a package to the Chicago Blackhawks that brought Artemi Panarin to Columbus. After five years in Ottawa, he signed a free agent deal with the LA Kings for two years.  

Michael Hutchinson - 2023 - Drafted by the Boston Bruins in the 2008 NHL Draft. 

Hutchinson started 10 games for Columbus after coming over from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Blue Jackets legend Jonathan Quick in March of 2023. He went 2-6-3 and made 6 relief appearances as well. 

He left to play in Finland for the 24-25 season but hasn't been signed anywhere for 25-26. 

With 31 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena, the anticipation for the season is in full swing. 

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Here’s a fun one, let’s hop back into the time machine to July 2024 for an article titled, “What could the Penguins look like in two years?”

Spoiler alert: the very active Kyle Dubas changed the picture in ways that couldn’t be forseen. We knew it at the time but you can’t predict the unpredictable. It only took a few weeks from that article for the Brayden Yager for Rutger McGroarty trade to derail a chunk of the outlook, and things only changed further from there.

It is a good piece to look back on, and recognize some of the changes and improvements made over the past couple years as Dubas angles the Pens into being a strong team now while still assembling a large quantity of future picks that could become NHL players down the line.

Top six forward pot: Crosby, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Brayden Yager, and longer shots like Ville Koivunen, Tristan Broz

—Imagining top lines without Malkin is a peculiar process. Two years from now, ideally Yager should be able to play on the second line, possibly at center. Rust and Rakell will still be under contract, though they could be moved by then. We’ll have to see what comes from the development of players like Koivunen and Broz as they begin their journeys. Odds are high that at least one, if not two players not currently in the organization will be in key roles for the Pens for 2026-27 as the team turnover rates increase and more talent is sought out.

The biggest surprise of all is that Evgeni Malkin earned a spot on the team for 2026-27. What looked like a potential winding down has been delayed. That’s a positive short-term development, since quite frankly a team can always use a quality scoring forward in the mix no matter the age.

Counting on individual young players to go from prospects to NHL talent is tough to do. Overall though, three holdovers (Crosby, Rakell and Rust) remain in the picture. It’s the other areas that didn’t develop. The Pens added Egor Chinakhov, which is a big win for the organization. Whether or not they can get players like Ben Kindel, Nick Robertson and Andrey Kuzmenko to this level will be one worth watching.

Bottom six forward pot: Who knows! But perhaps and ideally: Vasily Ponomarev, maybe Sam Poulin, maybe even longer-shot of Tanner Howe, other cheap and new players

—As of this moment, Pittsburgh only has two forwards under contract for 2026-27 (Rust and Rakell). That builds in a great deal of flexibility for Kyle Dubas, who will be able to stake out in any number of directions by 24 months from now to construct his team as he sees fit. The Pens’ system isn’t that stocked at the moment with young players who could stick or have long-term futures in the organization. Could Drew O’Connor be extended and figure in here? Sure! Is O’Connor likely to be on the team 24 months from now? Well…probably not.

There is normally lots of movement at the bottom of the roster in the first place, and Dubas loves to swirl players at this level in and out of the team. The only thing to expect is that the future bottom of the lineup is completely unpredictable at this point.

Dubas has had to do a lot of work to scare up bottom-six options, doing a good job in this department. Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte were added for very low cost and provide excellent fourth line options. McGroarty, Koivunen and Elmer Soderblom may find places here, with Tommy Novak and Justin Brazeau in the picture too.

Others that we thought or hoped a while back that might be in the picture like Ponomarev and Poulin have frittered away. So it goes in the world of frequent player movement and mostly unfulfilled potential that frequently sees prospects fail to stick as NHL regulars.

Overall, this is an area that will continue to have a lot of swirl and mixing with players coming and going off the active roster to either the IR, the AHL or out of the organization altogether.

Top four defense: Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang (?), Ryan Graves

—Will Letang (39 for the start of the 2026-27 season) still be playing? He reportedly had some injuries at the end of this season. Obviously he’ll want to keep the wheels on as long as possible, but old players tend to fall out and unofficially retire with regularity. Letang’s contractual status doesn’t guarantee inclusion in the roster two years from now (and there are only two 39+ defensemen under contract for this upcoming season: Brent Burns and Ryan Suter). Graves we’ll still include here, since he’s under contract and if he’s NOT playing on at least the second pair after three years in Pittsburgh by the start of 2026-27, one would think he would be traded for another bad contract by this point.

Given the question marks here, the Pens have a lot of building to do on the blueline in the next 24 months. It could also really use Owen Pickering getting his development into high gear and finding a big hit there, unless the team makes a move to re-sign Marcus Pettersson the defense looks lacking or at least in need of some real attention and talent infusions in the very near future.

Well, sadly Graves has neither been traded nor justified his massive contract. Just is what it is by 2026, especially with the willingness to waive and demote him to the AHL last year. Otherwise, Letang and Karlsson were hits that are in-place to be matchup level defensemen for the Pens last season.

Bottom end defense: Pickering, Jack St. Ivany

St. Ivany will still be under contract at this point but who knows how much of a hold he will keep on that position over the next two seasons to sink or swim. Defensive depth is another thing that tends to swirl around (no one could have foreseen 24 months ago that St. Ivany, John Ludvig, Sebastian Aho and Ryan Shea would be currently around) and isn’t that big of a concern to have as a hazy question mark at this point.

There hasn’t been a lot of positive stories at the bottom of the lineup. Pickering’s career hasn’t taken off, St. Ivany hung around until getting traded this summer. Young defensive development in the 2020’s has been an issue for the Pens. They haven’t had a lot to work with but players like Pickering and PO Joseph failing to move up the ranks has hurt. They did a good job with John Marino and Marcus Pettersson, but since then there hasn’t been much beyond Ryan Shea. Here’s to hoping that changes in the near future for players like Harrison Brunicke and to an extent newcomers Declan Carlile and Kaeden Korczak that are going to have to grow to pay off.

Goaltending: Tristan Jarry, Joel Blomqvist

Alex Nedeljkovic has a contract through 2025-26, but by this year Blomqvist will surely be up in the big league, and possibly not for the first time. Jarry remains a wild card and will still have two years remaining on his contract in 2026-27. Jarry’s future, on or off the Penguins, might be one of the more interesting storylines over then next couple months/years for how that ends up going for him and the team.

No one really knew in 2024 when Sergei Murashov would enter the organization, his emergence has taken a lot of the shine off Blomqvist. Blomqvist also didn’t take the steps that were expected a few years ago, though he does have a one-way contract in 2027-28 and might require a little more patience.

Dubas’ ability to dump Jarry’s contract has been trumpeted before, and frankly it should be celebrated at every turn. That was a nicely done way to amend for the mistake of giving out that contract to now have Girard (plus a couple of second round picks) to show as a direct result of the Jarry trade.

—

Overall, the Pens remain a difficult team to forecast for in the future. That won’t be changing anytime soon since only six players have contracts for the 2028-29 season at this point. The team has been built for an upcoming turnover, though as we saw with projecting Malkin off by 2026 a couple years ago – nailing exactly when that happens will have to be more of a wait and see.

Over the years, a number of players have worn the number 32 for the San Jose Sharks. This summer though, it seems like a disservice to his legendary career to discuss any player other than the late Claude Lemieux, who tragically passed away in May.

Lemieux was drafted in the 1983 NHL Draft with the 26th overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens. A native of Buckingham, Quebec, Lemieux had to move just two hours away from his hometown to join his new team. He made his NHL debut during the 1984-85 season, appearing in just a single game that year. The following season, he got another short stint in the NHL as he appeared in 10 games but earned his first Stanley Cup at the end of the postseason.

Lemieux truly established himself as an NHL regular during the 1986-87 season, playing in 76 games. That season, he scored 27 goals and had 56 points, but also notably registered 156 penalty minutes as well. 

At the end of the decade, Lemieux was traded to the New Jersey Devils after six seasons with the Canadiens. Lemieux spent five seasons with the Devils, winning his second Stanley Cup and his only Conn Smythe Trophy during the 1994-95 season.

Following the Stanley Cup victory, Lemieux was on the move again, this time to Colorado. He joined the Avalanche right after they relocated from Quebec City and lifted the Stanley Cup for the third time in his first season in Denver. After five partial seasons with Colorado, he returned to New Jersey for the second half of the 1999-00 season and won his fourth Stanley Cup. 

After his final Stanley Cup, Lemieux spent some time with the Phoenix Coyotes and had a short stint with the Dallas Stars. He then retired from the NHL following the 2002-03 season, notably without playing for the Sharks. So, dear reader, if you're a newer fan, you may be asking how he relates to the Sharks.

After a considerable amount of time away from the NHL, Lemieux made a shocking return to join the Sharks during the 2008-09 season. He only played 18 games at the NHL level, spending the most of his time in the organization in the AHL, but he officially ended his NHL career in San Jose. 

Lemieux is remembered as one of the NHL's best agitators, as he loved to get under the skin of his opponents, but he also wasn't afraid to stand up for himself or a teammate, although it was usually the result of his own antics.

We're entering the final stretch of the long summer without hockey, as NHL training camps are just a few weeks away. Once the Pittsburgh Penguins get back into full swing, it will become clearer and clearer how their 2026-27 roster is going to take shape. 

Even though there are some lingering questions regarding roster decisions this season because of the sheer volume of players the Penguins have, another thing to keep an eye on will be some of the players that are all but guaranteed a spot.

And some of those guys are poised to have a big season.

Between some veterans sticking around, some run-of-the-mill bottom-sixers, and some prospects making a push, there are also several younger players who are still working through their full NHL transformation and have the potential for bg breakouts in 2026-27. 

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Ben Kindel

Of all options on this list, Kindel is the most obvious one. After unexpectedly making the NHL team out of camp last season as an 18-year-old, Kindel showed quite a lot of potential as a legitimate two-way NHL center last season, registering 17 goals and 35 points. 

Typically, when young, higher-upside forwards make the jump to the NHL level - especially as young as Kindel was - the production comes before the 200-foot game rounds out. Well, for Kindel, he seems to already have most of the 200-foot stuff figured out, and his hockey sense and playmaking ability have already been on display.

So, where does he go from here? Well, it only makes sense that he'll, eventually, work his way up the lineup down the middle. And the better the talent that flanks him, the more productive he will be.

It's reasonable to expect Kindel to take some big strides offensively this season. And, honestly, he's easily one of the most underrated young players in the game. 

Is Penguins' Center Ben Kindel The Most Underrated Young Player In Hockey?Kindel, who played the vast majority of his rookie season as a center at age 18, is one of the most consistently overlooked young players in the NHL.

Egor Chinakhov

It could be argued that Chinakhov already experienced his big breakout last season, when he had 18 goals and 36 points in 43 games with the Penguins after being dealt from the Columbus Blue Jackets midseason. His performance earned him a three-year extension, too.

But there is still more for Chinakhov to prove to the Penguins. He needs to show them that he is capable of sustaining that level. So, was last season merely a preview of what's to come?

The Penguins believe they may have a star player on their hands in Chinakhov, who has one of the best releases in the NHL. His goal-scoring ability is legitimate, and he also had legitimate chemistry with veteran Evgeni Malkin, who is coming back for another season.

Whether it's he, Malkin, and fellow Russian Andrei Kuzmenko together on a line or him and Malkin centered by either Kindel, Rickard Rakell, or Tommy Novak, the table is set for Chinakhov to build on what he did last season in Pittsburgh. If he can, the Penguins have a large piece of their future. 

2026-27 Pittsburgh Penguins Player Projections: Egor ChinakhovEgor Chinakhov had a great second half of the season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Can he build off it for this season?

Nicholas Robertson

The younger Robertson was dealt to Pittsburgh this summer by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and given the rocky relationship between the young forward and the Leafs in the past couple of seasons, a change-of-scenery departure was in the cards for a while. 

It's not as if Robertson was not a decent player for the Leafs. He recorded 16 goals and 32 points in 78 games last season, which are respectable numbers for a bottom-six forward. And his goal production has remained pretty consistent for the last three seasons.

But it has always felt like Robertson has more to give. He finally got the change of scenery he wanted, and given the number of options that the Penguins have as far as lineups, he could find himself playing alongside high-level playmakers. 

Don't be surprised to see Robertson finally have his moment this season. 

2026-27 Pittsburgh Penguins Player Projections: Nick RobertsonNick Robertson was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins in July. How will he do this season?

Arturs Silovs

It may come as a bit of a surprise that the likely other goaltender, Sergei Murashov, is not the one on this list. After all, many are expecting Murashov to make a statement once he bursts onto the scene and take over as the No. 1 at some point this season. 

But don't forget about Silovs. Yes, up to this point, his career has seen quite a bit of inconsistency. Last season, he had just an .888 save percentage in the regular season. 

Then came playoff time. He surrendered just five goals on 82 shots for a .939 save percentage in the first round against the Phildadelphia Flyers. That performance, stacked with others, has proven Silovs to be a big-game performer, and it proves he is capable of high-level goaltending. 

At this point, it's just a matter of him putting it all together with more consistency. If he can find that consistency - especially with the knowledge that a young goaltender or two is nipping at his heels - it's going to be tough for Murashov or anyone else to steal his minutes.

Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2026: No. 2: Young Netminder Establishes Himself As Potential Franchise PieceAt No. 2 on our 2026 Top-20 Penguins' Prospects list is a young netminder with franchise potential who should be in the NHL full-time next season.

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The Buffalo Sabres took great steps ahead this past season, finishing in first place in the highly-competitive Atlantic Division, then winning their first-round Stanley Cup playoffs series against the Boston Bruins before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in Round 2. 

That success means that the TheHockeyNews.com’s 2025-26 grades for Sabres players will be largely positive. And in this “Sabres Grades” file, we’re focused on goaltender Colten Ellis.

Ellis didn’t get a ton of playing time playing behind veterans Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, but one of the reasons Buffalo traded young netminder Devon Levi is that Ellis had leaped over Levi in Buffalo’s goaltending depth chart. Ellis is now looking like Buffalo’s goalie-of-the-future, but the beginning of his NHL career has been much to the Sabres’ liking.

Colten Ellis

Position: Goaltender

Grade: B+

The Skinny: Ellis put forth a terrific rookie NHL season, appearing in 16 games and posting an 8-4-2 record, a 2.90 GAA, a .903 save percentage and one shutout. Those numbers weren’t going to get Ellis a Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie, but the 25-year-old showed enough last year to push himself up the Sabres’ organizational depth chart. 

Ellis has established himself as a strong netminder at the American League level with the Springfield Thunderbirds, posting strong years in 2023-24 and 2024-25. He needs more opportunity, but given that Luukkonen and Lyon both are under contract next season, more playing time may be hard to come by – at least, so long as the injury bug doesn’t sideline one or both of that goalie tandem.

Ellis is entering the final season of his current two-year contract, so he’s got all the motivation in the world to play more and play well this coming season. Lyon is also in the final year of his contract, and that means Ellis could push Lyon out the door. And if that’s what happens and Buffalo benefits from a step-up season from Ellis, Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen has the option to trade Lyon or Luukkonen and make Buffalo’s goaltending tandem into a 50/50 games split. 

That’s a column for another day. This file is about last season, and while Ellis didn’t finish off the 2025-26 season particularly well, he had enough strong stretches to convince Buffalo to retain him.

Ellis is shaping up to be a long-term fixture in Western New York, and if he continues progressing, Ellis could be a significant part of a Sabres team capable of winning a championship.

With the 26th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the Montreal Canadiens selected forward Filip Mesar. So far, the former first-round pick has struggled to take much of a step forward in his development. 

Mesar appeared in 71 games during this past season with the Laval Rocket, where he recorded nine goals, 18 assists, and 27 points. This was after he had four goals and 18 points in 42 games for Laval during the 2024-25 season. 

With numbers like these, Mesar has yet to have that big breakout year in the AHL. He has also still not made his NHL debut for Montreal. With that, things have been rocky with the first-round pick's development. 

As a result of this, it is clear that the 2026-27 season is a big year for Mesar. The Canadiens prospect forward needs to take a serious step in the right direction with his development. This is especially so when noting that he is entering the final season of his entry-level contract.

With Mesar being 22 years old, there is still time for him to improve. However, if he continues to struggle in the AHL, it will only create more questions about his future with the Habs organization. 

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History was made over the weekend, as Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar became the first NHL player to be signed to a contract that pays him a yearly salary of over $20 million. 

Makar, a two-time Norris Trophy winner and former Conn Smythe Trophy winner, inked a eight-year, $163.2 million contract extension that will pay him $20.4 million a season when the deal takes effect in 2027. 

That being said, Makar’s massive new extension only underscores just how much of a bargain Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider’s contract is shaping up to be.

Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year in 2021-22, is coming off his best season yet. He set career highs in goals, assists, points and ice time while continuing his ironman streak of never missing a game.

He also finished fifth overall in balloting for the Norris Trophy while finishing 11th overall in balloting for the Hart Trophy, given annually to the NHL's Most Valuable Player in regular season play. 

While Seider will never be as offensively flashy as Makar, he has firmly established himself as one of the NHL’s best and most effective defensemen, and is doing so while earning less than half of what Makar will make once his new extension takes effect.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Seider, who was former GM Steve Yzerman's first Draft selection in 2019, was re-signed to a seven-year, $59.85 million contract in September 2024. Seider's salary cap hit is $8.55 million.

Moritz Seider Offers Measured Reaction To Major Red Wings Offseason Storylines Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider offered a diplomatic response to the two major storylines the club has faced so far this offseason following Dylan Larkin's trade request and GM Steve Yzerman vacating his role.

There are 21 NHL defensemen who will have a higher salary cap hit than Seider this season, including Makar, Rasmus Dahlin, Evan Bouchard, Thomas Harley, Darnell Nurse, Roman Josi, and Drew Doughty. 

While it was time for the Red Wings to move on from Yzerman as GM after seven straight seasons without making the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there’s no denying that the extension he negotiated with Seider is proving to be one of the NHL’s best bargains given the value the defenseman brings to Detroit.

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Filip Hronek is committed to seeing things out with the Vancouver Canucks. 

The 28-year-old defenceman is one of a crop of players that don’t quite fit in the Canucks’ age timeline heading into their oncoming rebuild, the likes of which have been kicked-off with budding prospects Braeden Cootes, Caleb Malhotra, and Zeev Buium. 

Still, despite how things have shook out for the Canucks through the past two seasons, it’s reasonable to say that no current player has made more of a positive impact on their team than Hronek. The defenceman was even named his team’s MVP at the end of the 2025–26 season after grabbing the metaphorical reins post-Quinn Hughes trade in December. 

Acquired by Vancouver in 2023 in exchange for a first and second-round pick in that year’s draft, Hronek found success on a pairing with Hughes in his first full season with the Canucks. After Vancouver’s magical 2023–24 season, the defenceman signed an eight-year contract extension with the team currently set to expire after 2031–32. 

Evidently, things have changed since this point in time. No longer are the Canucks a game away from heading to the Conference Finals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. No longer are they considered bona-fide contenders. 

The moves that have occurred since Vancouver’s Game 7 loss to the Edmonton Oilers have set the team on a very different path from where they seemed to have been going back then. Hughes, J.T. Miller, Tyler Myers, Conor Garland, and many others have since been dealt in favour of younger, budding pieces with a long-term contention goal in mind. 

It’s these types of moves that have led many to lean towards trading Hronek in order to accumulate more future assets. 

The defenceman sees things differently. 

“We like the city, and obviously the fans are great in Vancouver. They were supporting us even though we didn’t have a good year last year, and they still are showing up to the games, and it was sold out,” Hronek told David Alter of The Hockey News at the NHL’s European Player Media Tour. “Just like it overall in Vancouver, and that’s why I signed there for eight years.” 

Is it about the desire to be part of change in Vancouver, or is it the prospect of helping mentor the next generation, kind of like what Luke Schenn brings in his third stint with the Canucks? 

Partially both, Hronek says. 

“I think it’s part of it, but it’s more about the commitment to the deal.” 

Now entering year three of said deal, Hronek has emerged as one of the team’s leaders — a role especially important after the departure of veterans Teddy Blueger and Marcus Pettersson in free agency and trade respectively. Joining the team are veterans Schenn, Brendan Gallagher, and Jamie Oleksiak. These three, along with Paul Cotter, are the main additions the Canucks have made to their lineup heading into 2026–27.

“There’s been a lot of changes over the summer, and I hope we’re going the right direction, and we’re gonna be way better than last year.” 

It’s these players, as well as longtime Canucks Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson, and Thatcher Demko who will be relied on most to help usher in the new generation consisting of players like Zeev Buium. 

“He’s listening and he wants to get better every day, and it’s the same for [Tom Willander] and [defenceman Elias Pettersson]. It’s easy to deal with them or mentor them because they’re listening and you know they’re trying to get better and want to be better players.”

Off-ice changes are a different story. Shortly after the season’s end, Vancouver made significant changes to their front-office and coaching staff, firing General Manager Patrik Allvin and Head Coach Adam Foote, and shifting President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford to an advising role. Into the NHL club’s ranks came Abbotsford Canucks GM Ryan Johnson and Head Coach Manny Malhotra, with Daniel and Henrik Sedin moving from player development roles to Co-Presidents. 

Hronek’s experience with Malhotra in particular, while limited, has given him a glimpse at what Vancouver could be getting in the coming seasons. 

“I don’t know much, I’m not gonna lie,” he said of working with his new Head Coach. “I met him at a couple training camps, and I’d been skating in Abby for like a week when I was injured, so it was fun practices there, and I think it’s really detailed.” 

The defenceman also echoed praise of the Sedins, affirming his belief that role changes won’t impact the way they go about their duties. 

“They’re great people, and they’re always trying to help with anything, and so I think they will stay the same.” 

Changes have come for the Canucks in the past few seasons, and more change is still likely to come along the way. More draft picks will be accumulated, more players will come and go, and more progress will be made towards a long-term contending solution. 

When it comes to Hronek’s future with the team, if he has things his way, his commitment will outweigh the prospect of change. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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When the Philadelphia Flyers drafted defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii 27th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft back in June, the expectation was that the goliath teenager would peak as a high-end bruiser. At the peak of his powers, though, Sokolovskii could be much more than that.

The 18-year-old Russian defenseman showed little offensive upside in his draft year with the OHL London Knights, scoring just two goals, six assists, and eight points in 44 regular season games, and going scoreless in five playoff games as London's coaching staff directed him to focus on the defensive side of the puck.

But, that's also not to say that Sokolovskii lacks the ability entirely, either.

For instance, in the 2024-25 season with the 16U AAA Atlantic Coast Academy, Sokolovskii scored 34 goals, 50 assists, and 84 points in just 65 games, which was second on the Academy in scoring (forward Nikita Shcherbakov had 87 in 64) and paced all 16U AAA defensemen in scoring.

This isn't a great litmus test in terms of competition, but Sokolovskii has shown he can do it.

In a less competitive setting, Sokolovskii set the Flyers' development camp on fire earlier this summer, frequently showcasing his anomalous skating relative to his size, as well as some creativity on the puck and some stickhandling, too.

More recently, in some viral new highlights, the hulking 6-foot-8 Flyers prospect flexes what very well could be his full potential as a hockey player.

Flyers' Sokolovskii looking like the total package

Here is another view of Maksim Solokovskii’s 1st Assist Yesterday against Erie. What a skater he is. @Flyers_Clips

Credit: @LondonKnightspic.twitter.com/VXBJz5FIoZ

— Jay Money (@insiderJmoney) August 29, 2026

In this first clip of Sokolovskii playing against the Erie Otters in OHL preseason, the recent first-round pick uses his impressive skating to knife his way into the offensive zone while, importantly, keeping his head up to scan for options.

Knowing he had teammates behind him streaking in support, Sokolovskii lowered his shoulder, blew by an Erie defender, and cut towards the net, peeling the puck back into open space for Kane Barch to deposit into the net.

And, transition wasn't the only area where Sokolovskii shined against Erie.

Later in the game, the top Flyers prospect also saw some power play minutes, picking up an assist on his long-range shot from the point.

Second Assist of the Night for Maksim Solokovskii (Flyers 2026 1st Round Pick) on the Luca Santala (2027 Draft Eligible) slot tip.

6’8” PP QB lol? https://t.co/XieR4uKUxXpic.twitter.com/ojXuyXKVCK

— Jay Money (@insiderJmoney) August 29, 2026

Here, you'll see Sokolovskii walk the line and try not to defer the puck back to the left wall, from where he received it. 

Instead, Sokolovskii goes to his right, getting the Erie defense to shift slightly before getting the puck in return. From there, Sokolovskii takes advantage of the lack of pressure in his face, manipulating the shooting lane and observing a teammate uncontested in the bumper, which is putting a triple screen on the opposing goalie.

One deflection later, Sokolovskii had two assists on the night just like that.

The London Knights rearguard still has plenty of work to do, particularly in terms of his passing, decision-making, and puck-handling/retrievals, but it's also obvious how swimmingly things can go when Sokolovskii is on his game and making the right reads and plays.

After the draft, the Flyers noted Sokolovskii's upward trajectory that continued throughout his draft year, and if that continues, there's no telling where the young prospect could eventually end up.

The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.  

Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. These players are all 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 82 NHL games. 

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 10. Jake Richard – Forward (Connecticut – NCAA)

Richard was the Sabres sixth-round pick at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal who has opened eyes every year at the club's development camp. A native of Jacksonville, FL, the 6'1", 194 lb. winger played his youth hockey in Florida and a year with the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks, where he scored 48 points (18 goals, 30 assists) before being selected 170th overall.

The following season, Richard split time between the Lumberjacks and Tri-City and increased his goal total to 31 and compiled 62 points in 57 games. As a freshman at Connecticut, he finished fourth on the club with 18 points (7 goals, 11 assists). As a sophomore, he finished second in team scoring, averaging over a point per game (15 goals, 28 assists) in 34 games.

Richard’s totals dropped in his junior season with the Huskies (10 goals, 17 assists in 38 games), but that did not dissuade the Sabres from signing him to an entry-level deal in May. With a number of forward prospects expected to be playing in Buffalo instead of Rochester, it is expected that Richard will get an opportunity to play in a scoring role in his first pro season with the Amerks.

Follow Michael on X, and Instagram @MikeInBuffalo

EA Sports' latest entry for the NHL video game franchise is almost here, and with it has come their latest rankings and ratings for every player throughout the entirety of the NHL.

The New York Islanders have a roster full of burgeoning youngsters along with highly-respected veterans.

One of those veterans is right-shot defenseman Ryan Pulock. 

Pulock, 31, posted 3 goals and 27 points. His 24 assists were the most he's had in a season since the 2019-20 season.

Call it the Matthew Schaefer effect, as the pairing played a huge portion of the season as a defensive pairing for New York.

But where did that leave Pulock when it came time for him to be ranked amongst his peers for NHL 27?

Pulock's rating for NHL27 is an 88 overall, after his elite season with the Islanders. He's tied with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal for the third-highest rating on the team.

Ilya Sorokin (93) is first, and Schaefer (91) is second.

The full game releases on Friday, September 11, with preorders granting 7 days of early access on Friday, September 4.

EA Sports' latest entry for the NHL video game franchise is almost here, and with it has come their latest rankings and ratings for every player throughout the entirety of the NHL.

The New York Islanders have plenty of intriguing players throughout their lineup, but the one superstar everyone wants to know about is Matthew Schaefer.

Schaefer, 18, lit the NHL on fire in his rookie season, posting 23 goals and 59 points, shattering all records for 18-year-old rookie defensemen, as he won the Calder Trophy and became the Islanders' present and future.

As a rookie, Schaefer saw his ranking start low, as all rookies have. Not the case this season. Schaefer is the Islanders highest ranked skater, and second on the team only to Ilya Sorokin.

EA Sports revealed Schaefer's overall for his sophomore season will be a 91, a massive leap forward, while also tying him for the fifth-best left-shot defenseman in the game.

He's the 35th overall player in the game.

The full game releases on Friday, September 11, with preorders granting 7 days of early access on Friday, September 4.

EA Sports' latest entry for the NHL video game franchise is almost here, and with it has come their latest rankings and ratings for every player throughout the entirety of the NHL.

Last season, Ilya Sorokin was the top-rated player for the New York Islanders, and that's a mantle he'll once again uphold.

EA Sports revealed Sorokin is a 93 overall, the second-best goalie, trailing only Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Sorokin, 31, went 29-24-2 in the 2025-26 season, and finished runner-up to Vaslievskiy for the 2026 Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league's best goaltender annually.

The full game releases on Friday, September 11, with preorders granting 7 days of early access on Friday, September 4.

Colorado Avalanche News

• ‘Worth every penny’: Hockey fans react to Cale Makar’s mega-deal. [Sportsnet]

• Avalanche have too much talent for this problem to continue: The Colorado Avalanche have a plethera of talent on their team, yet they rank near the bottom of the NHL in one area. [Sports Illustrated]

News Around the League

• Hellebuyck open to a variety of teams as he becomes the latest Team USA Olympic gold-medallist to request trade. [TSN]

• Cutter Gauthier turns down contract from Ducks [Video] [NHL]

• Habs goalie rotation in flux as Samuel Montembeault remains in mix. [Montreal Gazette]

• Canucks’ JT Miller admits that he went to rehab: Almost two years after the Vancouver Canucks’ dressing room fell apart, their former star admits he sought some kind of treatment. [Edmonton Journal]

• Brady Tkachuk mistakenly thinks Seattle is in Canada and says that Leafs fans boo the loudest. Ex-Ottawa Senators captain ranked jeers from Canadian fans on Wingmen podcast with brother, Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk. [Toronto Sun]

• Junior hockey players in OHL, WHL can seek compensation for alleged abuse. [CBC]

• Hockey Canada is now jumping aboard a program started by the Canucks to give young journalists experience, in memory of the late Jason Botchford. [The Province]