In the aftermath of the final Rangers exhibition Friday, Alberts Smits didn’t reveal much about whether he thought he’d done enough to make the roster. He left the final call to the coaches he spent the preseason impressing, though the 18-year-old — and No. 5 overall pick — did hint that “it’d mean a lot” for him to break training camp in the NHL. 

The seemingly inevitable ruling on Smits’ future for the start of the 2026-27 season became formal Sunday, with the rookie making the initial 23-man roster, according to The Post’s Mollie Walker. 

The other competitions that defined training camp also came into focus Sunday. Winger Taylor Raddysh and goaltender Dylan Garand were waived. Forwards Matt Rempe and Jaroslav Chmelar, along with defensemen Matthew Robertson and Scott Morrow, made the cut. Joonas Korpisalo beat out Garand for the job of backing up Igor Shesterkin. 

The Blueshirts still need to either waive injured defenseman Vincent Iorio, who’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury, or put him on injured reserve to officially get to 23. But when that happens, the first iteration of the Rangers’ roster will have some history (Smits), redemption (Rempe), youth (Chmelar and Morrow) and risk (Korpisalo) sprinkled in as they try to avoid reaching the basement of the Eastern Conference again. 

When the Blueshirts face the Bruins on Tuesday for their season opener, Smits will likely occupy the spot alongside Braden Schneider on the third pairing as he has all preseason. There wouldn’t be a purpose to having Smits on the roster if he didn’t log regular minutes. The left-handed defenseman was drafted as an NHL-ready prospect and then spent the last 10-plus days proving it. 

If Smits skates Tuesday, he’ll join Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière in Rangers history as recent 18-year-olds to make their debuts on opening night. Of the defensemen in team history — Dave Maloney (December 1974), Len Wharton (March 1945), Spence Tatchell (February 1943) and Red Garrett (November 1942) — to debut at 18 or younger, Smits would become the first to do so on opening night, according to archived rosters and game logs on Hockey-Reference. 

When reflecting on his preseason games Friday, Smits acknowledged ups and downs but said he tried to make an argument that he can jump in. Coach Mike Sullivan, in a telling comment that same night, said Smits tends to perform better alongside the structure of veterans as opposed to the “scrambly” nature of younger players. He collected four hits, two blocked shots and an assist across three preseason games. 

The hype followed Smits throughout the preseason too. Sullivan raved about Smits’ passes, physicality and stick while defending. Schneider told The Post last week that Smits “definitely earned the chance” to skate in the opening night lineup. 

“He doesn’t get outmuscled,” Sullivan said Friday, “and he’s not afraid to make a play. He plays the game out there like he belongs.” 

While Smits starting the year with the Rangers seemed likely, other spots weren’t decided until the final cuts Sunday. Raddysh skated in 68 games for the Rangers in 2025-26 and collected 19 points, but he served as an extra forward rotating in throughout training camp. In an ominous sign, Raddysh was one of the players left out of the official game group that traveled to UBS Arena for what essentially served as a dress rehearsal in the preseason finale. 

Rempe started the first session of training camp as an extra forward before clawing his way back to the first reps with the fourth line. Two procedures limited the 6-foot-9 forward to just 26 games last year, and he entered training camp knowing that he had plenty to prove. Chmelar drew plenty of positive reviews throughout his 28-game cameo last year but is waiver-exempt, meaning he could’ve been an option to be assigned to AHL Hartford. Robertson, who logged his first full NHL season last year after plenty of time with the Wolf Pack, and Morrow — the return in the K’Andre Miller trade who hasn’t stuck at the NHL level yet — were also on the bubble throughout training camp, while Korpisalo competed with Garand despite the Blueshirts trading for him in July. 

Any uncertainty about the construction of the final spots faded Sunday. And the presence of Smits ensured Tuesday became a historic opener for the Rangers. 

The St. Louis Blues' opening-night roster is becoming clearer, with the organization placing a pair of players on waivers.

Among those placed on waivers are goaltender Georgii Romanov and defenseman Calle Rosen.

Romanov is a 26-year-old netminder who is entering his second season with the Blues organization. He played 28 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds last season, posting an .898 save percentage and a 3.29 goals-against average.

He'll split starts with Will Cranley, who is expected to be a full-time AHLer this season.

As for Rosen, he's an experienced AHL defenseman entering his fifth year with the Blues organization. He's spent time in the NHL with the Blues, but has mainly been a reliable defenseman for the Springfield Thunderbirds.

The Blues reacquired him from the Washington Capitals, and in his return, the 32-year-old scored eight goals and added 31 points. 

In addition to placing Romanov and Rosen on waivers, the Blues have recalled 2024 first-round pick Adam Jiricek and claimed defenseman Justin Barron from the Nashville Predators. 

With Barron and Jiricek up in the NHL, the Blues are over the limit, so expect Tyler Tucker to be placed on the injured reserve and one of Barron or Jiricek to be sent to the AHL. 

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A couple of standouts emerged at the Montreal Canadiens’ camp. Up front, Florian Xhekaj has raised more than a few eyebrows with his consistent play, intense effort, and forecheck. On the blueline, David Reinbacher turned heads. The fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft may have seen his development slowed by a slew of injuries, but he’s fully healthy now and has shown what he can do in three preseason games.

Kaiden Guhle’s injury couldn’t have come at a better time for Reinbacher. It opened the door for him, and he didn’t just step into the space; he opened it with authority. So much so that he even got an audition to play alongside Lane Hutson in the Kraft Hockeyville game in Trois-Rivières. The Canadiens’ top defenseman was impressed with the youngster's play and had nothing but positive comments about his young partner after the game.

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Yet, on Sunday, after putting a first group of players on waivers, the Canadiens reassigned 10 players to the Laval Rocket, including Reinbacher. He was joined by Owen Beck, Jacob Fowler, Dillan Bentley, Laurent Dauphin, Jared Davidson, Filip Mesar, Luke Mittelstadt, Owen Protz, and Tyler Thorpe. In other words, Florian Xhekaj and Adam Engstrom are the only two players who aren't on NHL contracts and are still with the team. Unless Kaiden Guhle is put on injured reserve, the Canadiens would have 24 players on their roster rather than the 23 permitted. Meaning there's still a move to make before Monday at 5:00 PM. 

Meanwhile, Alex Belzile and Kaapo Kahkonen highlighted the group placed on waivers, along with Brett Berard, Hunter McKown, Sasha Pastujov, Samuel Poulin, Ethan Samson, Maksymillian Szuber, and Reilly Walsh.

Seeing Xhekaj stay up is surprising, given how many forwards are under contract, and Reinbacher heading to Laval is just as surprising. Throughout camp, he appeared to have the inside lane on Engstrom. Perhaps the organization would rather Engstrom sit as their seventh defenseman than Reinbacher if they decided to play Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj?

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Kevin Cheveldayoff has never been afraid to revisit the past.

Throughout his tenure as general manager of the Winnipeg Jets, Cheveldayoff has regularly circled back to players already familiar with the organization. But Winnipeg passed on one such opportunity Saturday when former Jets goaltender Eric Comrie cleared waivers after being placed on the wire by the San Jose Sharks.

One day later, several more familiar names are available.

Former Jets Laurent Brossoit, David Rittich, Dominic Toninato and Ville Heinola were among the players placed on waivers Sunday as teams continued trimming their rosters ahead of Monday's deadline.

The Jets made two moves of their own, placing forward Danny Zhilkin and defenceman Henry Thrun on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the Manitoba Moose. Should both clear Monday, Winnipeg would be down to 24 healthy players and require one more move to reach its opening roster. 

It comes one day after defenceman Isaak Phillips and forwards Nikita Chibrikov, Noah Gregor and Parker Ford all cleared waivers. The quartet can now be assigned to Manitoba after being placed on the wire Friday, while goaltender Thomas Milic was assigned directly to the Moose. 

While the Jets continue sorting through their own roster, Sunday's waiver wire presents some interesting possibilities.

Brossoit is perhaps the most obvious example of Cheveldayoff returning to a familiar player in the past. The goaltender spent three seasons with Winnipeg from 2018-21 before leaving for Vegas, only to return to the Jets two years later.

Rittich spent the 2022-23 season in Winnipeg, while Toninato became a familiar face between the Jets and Moose after originally joining the organization in 2020.

Then there is Heinola.

Winnipeg selected the Finnish defenceman 20th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft and spent years waiting for him to establish himself as a full-time NHL player. Heinola's time with the organization finally came to an end this summer when he joined the Vegas Golden Knights, only for the 25-year-old to land on waivers before the regular season.

Whether any of those reunions would actually interest Winnipeg is another question.

The Jets' decision not to claim Comrie is a timely reminder that familiarity alone isn't enough. The 31-year-old netminder had one of the more unusual relationships with the organization, having been drafted by Winnipeg, lost on waivers and eventually returned to the Jets before leaving for San Jose this summer. Despite Winnipeg's current uncertainty in goal behind Stuart Skinner, Comrie went unclaimed and is now eligible to report to the AHL's San Jose Barracuda. 

There are plenty of intriguing names beyond the former Jets, too.

Forwards Sammy Blais, Philip Tomasino, Jakob Pelletier and Alexander Holtz were among those exposed Sunday, as were defencemen Henri Jokiharju, Juuso Välimäki and Ilya Lyubushkin.

Former Brandon Wheat Kings forward Cole Reinhardt was placed on waivers by the Florida Panthers, adding another Manitoba connection to the list.

The goaltending market is particularly crowded. Along with Brossoit and Rittich, Ilya Samsonov, Vitek Vanecek, Kaapo Kähkönen and Mads Søgaard were all made available.

For Cheveldayoff, the timing is intriguing.

Winnipeg has spent the weekend moving closer to its final roster, going from 26 healthy players Friday to 24 following Sunday's moves. The Jets have one final decision of their own to make before Monday's deadline.

At the same time, 31 other teams have provided them with plenty more to consider.

Ahead of the start of the 2026 regular season, the Philadelphia Flyers still have major question marks on defense, particularly on the third defense pair.

On Saturday, not long after Flyers general manager Danny Briere announced that former No. 6 overall pick David Jiricek would make the roster, Jiricek made a series of errors that led to goals against the Flyers despite facing against a greatly undermanned Washington Capitals team in the preseason finale.

A faulty anticipation of transition, a backhanded pass directly to a Capitals player, and a silly penalty contributed to three goals for Washington, and the Capitals' fifth goal in the 5-1 beatdown came after Noah Cates failed to handle a pass from Jiricek in the neutral zone,

Once Washington won that puck, Jiricek was too far out of position, and Rasmus Ristolainen was left back to defend by himself, and Aleksei Kolosov was nowhere near good enough to erase any of those mistakes on Saturday night.

This is precisely what the Flyers signed up for when they added the 22-year-old Jiricek via trade, but the problem for them is that they have aspirations of making the playoffs, and Jiricek still needs to develop despite needing to pass through waivers to make it back to the AHL.

Those two things don't mix, and while another NHL team may not necessarily be motivated to become Jiricek's fourth team in as many years since he was drafted in 2022, it is a possibility.

More concerningly, Oliver Bonk and Helge Grans have not done enough to steal a job from Jiricek, and Simon Benoit, a veteran newcomer, is not a right-shot.

If the Flyers want to take their time with Bonk and Jiricek and let the youngsters develop, they will need to turn elsewhere to maintain the integrity of their ultimate goals for the season.

NHL waiver wire flush with options

The good news for the Flyers is that they have at least two options available to them, entirely for free, on the NHL waiver wire.

On Saturday, the Boston Bruins placed defenseman Henri Jokiharku, a 27-year-old former first-round pick and veteran of 448 regular season games, on waivers.

The Finn was an NHL regular with Buffalo, but since coming to Boston, he's placed in just 59 games, scoring two goals, 17 assists, and 19 points with a +9 rating while filling in on the power play and penalty kill when needed.

The 6-foot Jokiharju has two years remaining on his contract at a $3 million cap hit, and he's undeniably an upgrade on Benoit, Jiricek, Grans, Bonk, and even Noah Juulsen, who the Flyers made the playoffs with as their third-choice right-shot defender last year.

Further south, the Nashville Predators placed former Tampa Bay Lightning standout Nick Perbix on waivers, and the 6-foot-4 Canadian might better align with what the Flyers are trying to do on defense.

Perbix, 28, was an analytics darling in Tampa Bay playing a lesser role, but after just one year in Nashville, he's on waivers.

Perbix scored three goals, 10 assists, and 13 points in 79 games for the Predators last season while averaging a career-high 2:41 a game on the penalty kill, adding some important special teams value for a prospective taker like the Flyers.

Both Jokiharju and Perbix, with their short-term, affordable contracts, make sense as adds for the Flyers as they prioritize the proper development of Jiricek and Bonk.

The Flyers will need to spend a bit of cash to add either player via waivers, but that's no problem for them with their $13.9 million in cap space.

Now, it's more a question of how they want to develop Jiricek and how important he is to their future, compared to making the playoffs and remaining as competitive as possible.

Former Winnipeg Jets defenceman Logan Stanley has finally found a home for the 2026-27 NHL season.

The New York Islanders announced Sunday that they have signed Stanley to a one-year contract. The deal carries a $1.5-million cap hit.

The signing comes unusually late for the 28-year-old, who remained an unrestricted free agent throughout the summer and nearly the entirety of training camp despite putting together the best offensive season of his NHL career in 2025-26.

Stanley recorded nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points in 76 games split between Winnipeg and the Buffalo Sabres last season. Twenty-one of those points came in 59 games with the Jets before Winnipeg dealt the six-foot-seven, 231-pound defenceman to Buffalo ahead of the March 6 trade deadline.

Former #NHLJets defenceman Logan Stanley has found a new home on the Island.

He signs a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Islanders - a far cry from the 5x$5 extension some were suggesting mid-season.

Whether he gets into the Isles’ final exhibition game tonight is unclear.

— Carter Brooks (@CBrooksie84) September 27, 2026

Stanley added five assists in 17 regular-season games with the Sabres before appearing in eight playoff contests. He was held pointless during Buffalo's postseason run and was scratched for the final four games of its second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens.

His move to Long Island brings an end to a lengthy period of uncertainty for the former Jets first-round pick.

Winnipeg selected Stanley 18th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft after trading up to acquire the pick. He eventually developed into a regular on the Jets' blue line and appeared in parts of six seasons with the club before being moved to Buffalo last spring.

Stanley's final season in Winnipeg proved to be his most productive. He established career highs offensively while taking on a larger role, averaging more than 17 minutes of ice time per game during his 59 appearances with the Jets.

Now, he'll attempt to carve out a role on an Islanders blue line that already features the likes of Matthew Schaefer, Alexander Romanov, Ryan Pulock and Tony DeAngelo.

Stanley joined his new teammates for practice Sunday morning, but his late arrival means he won't have the benefit of an exhibition tune-up. New York has already completed its four-game preseason schedule and will open its regular season Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Islanders will therefore have only a few practices to get Stanley acclimated before the games begin to count.

Stanley has appeared in 278 career NHL regular-season games, recording 14 goals and 62 points. He has also suited up for 25 Stanley Cup playoff games.

After spending nearly seven months waiting for his next NHL opportunity, the former Jet will now get it on Long Island.

On Sunday, the Florida Panthers continued their roster cuts, placing eight players on waivers for the purpose of being assigned to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL.

NHL opening night rosters are due at 5 p.m. EST on Monday, Sept. 28. 

According to PuckPedia.com, the Panthers have placed eight players on waivers: forwards John Beecher, Sam Lafferty, Cole Reinhardt, Kai Schwindt, Cole Schwindt, and Nathan Bastian, and defensemen Donovan Sebrango and Alexander Petrovic.

Bastian attended the Panthers' training camp on a professional tryout. Prior to being placed on waivers, Bastian signed a one-year, $850,000 contract. His minor league salary will be $525,000, with $575,000 guaranteed.

As for the other forwards, Beecher and Lafferty were brought in during the off-season with NHL experience. They'll likely clear waivers and should be used as call-ups throughout the season.

As for Reinhardt and Cole Schwindt, the Panthers claimed both off waivers last year. Reinhardt and Schwindt's waiver placement comes with serious risk, as they're enticing pieces NHL teams could be interested in claiming. 

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Reinhardt ended the season strongly with the Panthers last year and picked up where he left off in the pre-season. As for Schwindt, he's proved to be a very reliable defensive center. 

Yesterday, the Panthers placed Angus Crookshank, Casey Fitzgertald and Tobias Bjornfot on waivers; all cleared and have reported to the Charlotte Checkers. 

An interesting note following all these waiver placements is that Bokondji Imama was not placed on waivers and remains with the NHL club. It appears that he could begin the season as the Panthers' 13th forward, or possibly in the opening-night lineup. 

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The Carolina Hurricanes have their opening night roster set, trimming their roster down to the 23-player maximum.

The team announced on Sunday that they have reassigned both Felix Unger Sorum and Bradly Nadeau to the Chicago Wolves and have placed defenseman Juuso Valimaki on waivers for the purpose of reassignment.

In addition, Seth Jarvis has been placed on injured reserve as he continues to recover from his offseason shoulder surgery.

That means that the final roster will look like this:

Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Eric Robinson
Taylor Hall - Logan Stankoven - Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers - Jordan Staal - Jordan Martinook
Nicolas Deslauriers - Mark Jankowski - William Carrier

Jaccob Slavin - Jalen Chatfield
K'Andre Miller - Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere - Charles Alexis Legault

Brandon Bussi
Pyotr Kochetkov

Extras: Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Mike Reilly, Cayden Primeau, Seth Jarvis (IR; shoulder)

So in the end, Charles Alexis Legault and Mike Reilly won out the competition for the team's sixth and seventh defenseman spots over Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Juuso Valimaki and Joel Nystrom.

Reilly had by far the best showing amongst all the prospective blueliners, anchoring the team's top pair through the first two preseason games and while Legault wasn't as impactful, he has the physical traits and playing style that the team wants in that depth role.

In addition, neither Unger Sorum nor Nadeau impressed the organization enough to dethrone any of the team's established forwards, although perhaps we could see one or both at some point in the season.

Both players have dominated the AHL and had really good showings in the preseason to boot, but for whatever reason, the staff isn't yet sold on them.

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Lastly, it seems the team is perhaps worried about placed goaltender Cayden Primeau on waivers, hence why they're keeping him up, at least to start the year.

Primeau, 27, has over 50 games of NHL experience and is coming off of a really strong AHL season where he had a 21-11-7 record and a 0.916 save percentage (9-9-0; 0.913 Sv% in the postseason).

Even though he's on a two-year deal, there is a good chance he gets claimed, which did happen last year before the team managed to reclaim him after he spent around a month in Toronto.

But this is the lineup that the team will be sending out against the Florida Panthers for the NHL season opener on Tuesday.

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Dealing with a rash of preseason injuries, the Philadelphia Flyers have made a move to give themselves some forward depth as the regular season quickly approaches.

On Sunday afternoon, the Flyers announced that they had signed veteran enforcer Garrett Wilson, who featured on the fourth line alongside captain Sean Couturier and Noel Acciari in Saturday's preseason finale against Washington, to a one-year, two-way contract worth $850k.

Wilson, 35, was previously on an AHL contract with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, but by signing an NHL contract, Wilson can now appear in NHL games for the Flyers if and when needed.

Currently, forwards Denver Barkey (lower-body) and Nikita Grebenkin (undisclosed) are banged up, leaving the Flyers with Wilson and Carl Grundstrom as the spare healthy forwards on the roster.

Grundstrom, who played in 47 regular season games and three playoff games for the Flyers last season, is likely the first man up to fill an every-night role for the Flyers, but the veteran Wilson will stand in behind him for depth.

Top forward prospects like Jett Luchanko and Cole Knuble will only be called up for the Flyers if they are required to play regular, nightly roles in the top-nine. 

Until an injury necessitates their presence, the Flyers will prefer to have Luchanko and Knuble playing large quantities of minutes as top-line players in the AHL.

Barkey and Grebenkin are questionable for the Flyers' season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:30 p.m. at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Wednesday night.

The Rangers have just about set up their roster ahead of NHL Opening Night, and it appears that rookie Alberts Smits will remain in the mix. 

Smits, of course, landed in New York as the fifth overall pick this year. 

He was viewed by many as one of the most NHL-ready prospects in the entire class, but it was uncertain if the Rangers would carry him heading into the year. 

Head coach Mike Sullivan made it clear at the beginning of training camp, though, that the youngster would have every opportunity to play his way onto the roster.

Smits did just that, fitting right in throughout the rookie scrimmages and pro camp before more than holding his own in game action during preseason play. 

Now, he’s officially set to begin his career with the Blueshirts. 

The 18-year-old will start the season with Braden Schneider on the third pair, as he’s done throughout camp.   

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues have claimed defenseman Justin Barron off waivers from the Nashville Predators on Sunday, and defenseman Adam Jiricek was recalled from Springfield of the American Hockey League.

Barron, 24, spent the past two seasons with the Nashville Predators and has one year remaining on a contract with a cap hit/average annual value of $1.575 million before he can become a restricted free agent at the end of the current season.

Claiming Barron on waivers could very well coincide with the upper-body injury to on Saturday to defenseman Logan Mailloux, who did not return to the game after getting into a scrap in a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday with Cole Smith at the 13:42 mark of the first period.

The Blues are already down a defenseman, with Tyler Tucker (tweaked right knee) sidelined a week to this point and potentially could miss more time; they have 32-year-old Calle Rosen up as insurance as the seventh defenseman on the 23-man roster, which needs to be submitted to the league by 4 p.m. (CT) on Monday. 

Rosen and goalie Georgii Romanov were placed on waivers by the Blues on Sunday.

Barron is 6-foot-2, 198 pounds and is a first-round pick (No. 25) in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche who had nine assists in 52 games with the Predators last season; he also spent two-plus seasons with the Montreal Canadiens from 2022-25.

Barron has 52 points (18 goals, 34 assists) in 208 career regular-season NHL games and is expected to be on the 23-man roster that must be submitted by Monday and presumably will be on the practice ice on Monday as well ahead of the Blues departing on a team bonding trip for a few days to Austin, Texas ahead of their season-opener Friday against the Dallas Stars.

The Blues, depending on Mailloux's injury, have decided to opt for experience but have also brought up Jiricek, a 2024 first-round pick who had a really solid camp before being sent down to the Thunderbirds on Friday.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Sunday that they signed defenseman Nick Blankenburg to a one-year contract. According to PuckPedia, the deal is worth $1.4 million, converting the 28-year-old’s professional tryout into a roster contract two days before opening night.

Blankenburg arrived at camp unsigned after a quiet free-agency period and has spent the last two weeks trying to prove he belongs. He has been a consistent pairing with newly acquired defenceman Emil Andrae, a look the Leafs kept together through the Arizona trip and Saturday’s practice at Mullett Arena. 

Last season was the best offensive year of Blankenburg’s career. He recorded eight goals and 24 points in 61 games between the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche, averaging 16:48 per night. He had 21 points in 49 games with Nashville before a March deadline trade to Colorado, then added three points in 12 regular-season games and a goal in five playoff appearances. For his NHL career, the undrafted University of Michigan product has 18 goals and 58 points in 176 games with Columbus, Nashville and Colorado. He is 5-foot-9 and 177 pounds, a right shot who has never been defined by size.

Head coach Jim Hiller, seemingly impressed with the player's camp, stated that Blankenburg is an NHL defenseman. The Leafs were fortunate he was available on a tryout. The $1.4 million number, negotiated with agent Pat Brisson of CAA Hockey, is more than the league minimum some fans wanted, but it is still a depth price for a player coming off career-high production.

The signing does not come without cap work. PuckPedia projects Toronto $3.808 million over the $104 million upper limit once Blankenburg’s hit is on the books. The club has to be compliant when it files an opening roster by 5 p.m. ET on Monday, ahead of Tuesday’s season opener.

🖊️  We’ve signed defenceman Nick Blankenburg to a one-year contract

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 27, 2026

The most direct path is long-term injured reserve. Max Domi, who has not been on the ice in camp while recovering from complications stemming from offseason surgery, carries a $3.75 million cap hit. PuckPedia’s model has the Leafs submitting an opening roster with Domi and William Villeneuve ($68,000 season-opening IR charge) on LTIR and coming within about $10,000 of an optimal LTIR capture.

With Blankenburg signed for 1.4M, #Leafsforever are 3.808M projected over the cap. They can submit an opening roster with Domi (3.75M) and Villeneuve (68K SOIR) on LTIR and come within $10K of an optimal LTIR capture. https://t.co/gG2oRpjZ3A

Read more:… https://t.co/pmCarqtbGypic.twitter.com/3q7ouZRHuN

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) September 27, 2026

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The New York Islanders demoted defenseman Isaiah George to the Hamilton Hammers on Sunday morning, making George one of the final cuts for the NHL team. 

Additionally, the team signed veteran defenseman Logan Stanley to a one-year deal to take George's place.

Entering camp, there was a roster spot built in for George, with the only true competition coming from Matthew Kessel for a roster spot.

As it turns out, the Islanders appear set to carry 13 forwards and 8 defensemen to start the year, as Kessel has not been announced for waivers Sunday afternoon, ensuring he makes Monday's roster submission.

Elsewhere on Long Island, George's camp left almost everyone disappointed. The Islanders went out and added Stanley on the eve of the season, while George missed out on the roster entirely.

Couple that with Stanley's signing, along with Kashawn Aitcheson's breakout camp, some could see this as a potential closing of the NHL door for George.

Do not count Islanders' Head Coach Peter DeBoer in that camp. 

DeBoer launched a passionate defense of George after practice on Sunday.

"I think disappointment's the wrong word," DeBoer said. "I ran the defense at the Olympics this year for Canada. We had Devon Toews, who everyone here is familiar with. Devon played three years of college hockey and 125 American League games [before breaking out]. Isaiah George is younger and has played 70 American League games.

"This isn't a disappointment," DeBoer continued. "It's a journey to become an NHL defenseman, and he took a step. I'm sure he learned a lot in training camp. We sat down and asked what's best for his development: giving him the opportunity to continue growing, or having him sit in the stands or play limited minutes?"

It's very easy for anyone involved in hockey to be staring directly at the puzzle, and not take a look back from 1,000 feet. 

If the Islanders were not committed to playing George consistently, it makes no sense to carry him on the NHL roster to sit in the press box.

It's also not beneficial to force things on a defender, like the Islanders sometimes did with Samuel Bolduc.

Bolduc found his way on the roster, spent long stretches as the team's seventh defenseman and by the time he got into the game, lost confidence and struggled mightily.

The Islanders can't afford to have that happen again.

"You can't rush those things, particularly with defensemen," DeBoer said. "There's zero disappointment. It's an opportunity for more growth. Hopefully, the next time he comes up, he's a little bit better, and eventually he's a regular."

If DeBoer has it his way, this is not the end of the story for George. Just a speed bump.

As the National Hockey League opens the regular season on Tuesday, the Buffalo Sabres added some defensive depth with the signing of veteran Matt Grzelcyk, but did not go down the road of bringing back big blueliner Logan Stanley. The 28-year-old former Winnipeg first-rounder was acquired from the Jets along with Luke Schenn by the Sabres for Isak Rosen, Jacob Bryson, and two draft picks at the trade deadline, and played mostly in a third-pairing role, posting five assists in 17 regular-season games, and was in the lineup for eight of Buffalo’s 13 playoff games. 

Coming off a career-high 26 points last season, and with a very thin crop of defensive free agents on the market, Stanley was in a prime position to get overpaid and get some term on a deal, but clearly he and his representatives overplayed their hand. On Sunday, the New York Islanders signed the veteran blueliner to a one-year, $1.5 million contract, giving him a landing spot for the year and an opportunity to prove last season was not a fluke. 

In other former Sabres news, 2016 first rounder Alex Nylander was placed on waivers by the Calgary Flames. The 28-year-old played all of last season for the Toronto Marlies and won a Calder Cup on an AHL contract. Nylander signed a PTO with the Flames and earned an NHL deal, but has to clear waivers to be sent to the AHL Wranglers. 

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Another former Sabre, defenseman Casey Fitzgersld, was placed on waivers by the Florida Panthers. Earlier in the week, as NHL clubs were cutting down to 23 players, other ex-Buffalo products Riley Stillman (Edmonton), Eric Comrie (San Jose), Zac Jones (Utah), and Viktor Neuchev (Carolina) all cleared waivers and were sent down to the AHL. 

The Tampa Bay Lightning dealt another former Sabre, goalie Jonas Johansson to the Ottawa Senators for future considerations. Johansson, 31, went 11-10-2, with a 3.29 GAA and .884 save % last season, but lost the backup battle with Dennis Hildeby. He now replaces youngster Leevi Merilainen, who was claimed by the Vancouver Canucks. 

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Looking to bolster their blueline, the Islanders have signed Logan Stanley to a one-year deal. 

New York had a need for another left-handed defenseman on their NHL roster after sending young Isaiah George and Kashawn Aitcheson down to AHL Hamilton to begin the season. 

Stanley fills that hole and brings them some much-needed size on the backend. 

The 6-foot-8 defenseman skated in 76 regular season games with the Jets and Sabres last season, then appeared in eight more during the playoffs with Buffalo. 

His game his built around his size, but he did chip in more offensively last year. 

Stanley started the year on a career-best pace, producing 21 of his 26 points over 59 games with Winnipeg. 

He'll likely be a step or two behind to start the season having signed so close to Opening Night, but could slide right into their defensive rotation once he gets fully up to speed.  

New York opens their season Wednesday night against the Leafs.