There’s one area of the Calgary Flames’ roster where there doesn’t appear to be much uncertainty heading into the 2026-27 season.
Goaltending.
After plenty of turnover throughout the roster last season, the Flames enter training camp with Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley firmly established as their tandem. More importantly, the organization appears to have complete confidence in both.
Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Flames general manager Craig Conroy spoke about the duo during a recent appearance on the Raw Mike Richards show on QR Calgary, emphasizing the belief inside the organization that either goaltender can give the team a chance to win on any given night.
“Everyone’s got the belief, if either goalie goes in we can win every night, they’re going to give us a chance. It’s exciting, because I think the year before there was uncertainty. Wolfie was coming in to be the starter, but he’d never done it before,” Conroy explained.
That uncertainty is considerably different this time around.
Wolf enters his second full NHL season after taking over the starting job last year, while Cooley has established himself as a legitimate NHL option after showing he could handle the workload when called upon.
The two also have the benefit of already knowing what to expect from one another.
Conroy believes the competition between the two could ultimately make both goaltenders better.
“The NHL is a different beast. The shooters are that much better, the size, speed, the traffic, but to see them now together, they know each other, they get along great. Now to have them as a tandem, they’re going to push each other. That’s the one thing that Cooley did a great job (of), coming in and winning games, and now they can push together and we feel comfortable with either goalie on any given night, so I think it’s great. I think that is a real strength of our team going into the year, maybe the strongest part of the team going in.”
The numbers certainly give Conroy reason for optimism.
Wolf posted a 3.01 goals-against average and .899 save percentage in his first full season as an NHL starter. Cooley, meanwhile, appeared in 31 games and finished with a 2.69 GAA and .909 save percentage, along with a 10-10-6 record.
Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images
Those numbers aren’t perfect, but they provide the Flames with something they didn’t necessarily have entering last season: two goaltenders with NHL experience who the organization believes can win games.
There are still plenty of questions surrounding the Flames heading into the new season. How quickly will the younger players take another step? Can the revamped blue line hold up? Will the offence produce consistently enough?
The crease, however, doesn’t appear to be one of them.
And for a team entering another important season in its transition, having that kind of stability in net could be one of Calgary’s biggest advantages.
As Conroy put it:
“It does take a little time, goaltending is a tough position, but to know we have two guys that can play, it’s a real strength of the team this year.”
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 former Canucks that are expected to play in the DEL and in various Swiss hockey leagues in 2026–27.
DEL
Akito Hirose, Fischtown Pinguins: Joined Vancouver in 2023 after three seasons at Minnesota State University (Mankato). Played in 10 career games for the Canucks before shifting primarily to the Abbotsford Canucks, where he won the Calder Cup in 2025. Signed with Fischtown in 2025.
Madison Bowey, Grizzlys Wolfsburg: Played in two games for the Canucks and 53 for Abbotsford in 2021–22. Went to the KHL after a season with the Laval Rocket in 2022–23. Made the switch to DEL in 2025–26, skating with Augsburger Panther before heading to Grizzlys Wolfsburg.
Marc Michaelis, Adler Mannheim: Signed out of the NCAA by Vancouver in 2020–21 and played in 15 games. Spent 22 games with the Toronto Marlies the season after before returning to Europe and playing in the NL. Joined Adler Mannheim as their captain in 2024–25 and is entering his third-consecutive season with the team in 2026–27.
NL
Erik Brännström, Lausanne HC: Traded to the Canucks at the beginning of the 2024–25 season. Played in only 28 games with Vancouver, scoring three goals and five assists, before being dealt to the New York Rangers in the J.T. Miller trade. Joined Lausanne in 2025–26.
Dec 28, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Erik Brannstrom (26) shoots during warm up prior to a game against the Seattle Kraken at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Juho Lammikko, ZSC Lions: Acquired by Vancouver via the Olli Juolevi trade in 2021–22. Scored seven goals and eight assists in 75 games for the Canucks before heading to the NL and playing for ZSC Lions. Made a short return to the NHL with the New Jersey Devils in 2025–26 but has since found his way back to the NL.
Jimmy Vesey, Genève-Servette HC: Spent 20 games of his 626-game NHL career with the Canucks in 2020–21 after being claimed off waivers. Went on to play for the Devils, Rangers, and Colorado Avalanche before heading to Genève-Servette of the NL in 2025–26.
Markus Granlund, Genève-Servette HC: Traded to the Canucks from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Hunter Shinkaruk in 2016. Spent four seasons with Vancouver, including registering a career-high in points with 32 in 2016–17, before heading to the Edmonton Oilers in 2019–20. Entering his third season with Genève-Servette in 2026–27.
SL
Jayce Hawryluk, EHC Olten: Played in 30 games for the Canucks in 2020–21, scoring two goals and three assists. Spent time in the AHL in 2022–23 before heading to Czechia in 2023–24 and Slovakia in 2024–25. Joined EHC Olten in 2025–26.
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.
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues will open the 2026-27 training camp on Thursday, September 17, at Centene Community Ice Center.
Main camp will open with practice sessions on Thursday and Friday before the Blues begin the 2026 preseason schedule by hosting the Dallas Stars on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 6 p.m. at Enterprise Center.
The first two days of training camp will see activities begin at 10 a.m.:
Fans in the Blues broadcast territory will be able to stream all four Blues preseason games on stlouisblues.com and the Blues app and listen on 101 ESPN.
Forty-eight players (28 forwards, 15 defensemen and five goalies) will participate in training camp this year, including newcomers Mason McTavish, Ross Johnston, Connor McMichael, Dillon Dube, and Brandon Carlo:
Prior to main camp, the Blues will hold rookie camp with practices on Saturday, Sept. 12, and Sunday, Sept. 13 before the prospects travel to Chicago to face the Blackhawks’ rookies in a two-game showcase on Monday, Sept. 14 (6 p.m.) and Tuesday, Sept. 15 (4 p.m.) at the Blackhawks Ice Center.
No radio broadcast or stream of those games will be available. All camp practice sessions are free and open to the public.
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 Carolina Hurricanes announced their EBUG for the 2026-27 season and it is a familiar face indeed.
Head equipment manager Jorge Alves, who has been with the team since 2003, has been named as the Hurricanes' emergency third goalie for the upcoming season, adding another hat to a key member of the staff.
"What he's meant to this organization and what he does... MacIver, that series, that's Jorge Alves," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "Literally, if you need something done, it can literally be your car, and he's got it. Obviously with equipment too, but then also if you need a guy to go out there and skate and be a goalie, he does that too. He's maybe one of the most valuable guys around in this organization. And then to boot, he's just an awesome guy."
Starting this year, every NHL club is required to supply and travel their own emergency backup netminder.
While those players were required to not have more than 80 games of professional experience, have played within the last three years, and also have zero games of NHL experience, the league seems to have made an exception for Alves, who is technically an NHL alumni.
Alves made his NHL debut on Dec. 31, 2016, coming in for the final 7.6 seconds of a regular season game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The team's longtime equipment manager, who had previously played as high as the ECHL level, signed a professional tryout contract that day after netminder Eddie Lack fell ill before the game and backed up starter Cam Ward.
Nothing happened to Ward, but the team wanted to reward Alves for his years of hard work and gave him the chance to take the ice for real.
Alves didn't see a shot in the game and now also holds the record for the shortest career and single-game appearance for a goalie in NHL history.
The 47-year-old is no stranger to taking the net, having frequently filled in at practices for the team whenever they've been in need of a second goaltender and he should serve well in that role.
Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
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.
When people talk about the greatness of the Montreal Canadiens’ history in net, they mention George Vezina, Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy, Carey Price, and so many others. All too often, Rogatien Vachon doesn’t even enter the conversation, but the Pallamarole, Quebec, native was no slouch in the Habs net.
Born on September 8, 1945, just days after the end of the Second World War, Vachon joined the Canadiens in 1966-67 and would spend parts of six seasons with the club before requesting a trade. While wearing the Sainte-Flanelle, Vachon had a 108-58-31 record with a 2.65 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. Those were amazing numbers, and he helped the Canadiens dominate the late ’60s; in three of his six seasons, the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup.
In the 1968-69 playoffs, he had a 7-1-0 record with 1.42 GAA and a .953 save percentage, but that wasn’t enough to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. He had only played half the games, splitting goaltending duties with Gump Worsley, while defenseman Serge Savard put up 10 points in 14 games and earned the MVP title.
Why did the Canadiens let go of Vachon? Well, in short: because of Ken Dryden. It’s not that the Habs decided to trade Vachon; the player actually asked to be traded, as Dave Stubbs explained in a 2021 article. After Dryden drove the Habs to the Cup in 1971, playing all of the Canadiens’ 20 games, the goaltender knew he needed to move on.
He was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on November 4, 1971, for Denis De Jordy, Dale Hoganson, Noel Price, Doug Robinson, and an option to swap 1975 first-round picks. While none of those players ended up having as great a career as Vachon, it’s hard to lament the trade since the Habs would go on to win another five Stanley Cups with Dryden in net, but it does make you wonder how Montreal would have fared if that had kept Vachon around. He played until the end of the 1981-82 season, while Dryden called it quits after just eight seasons, at the end of the 1978-79 campaign.
Connor Hellebuyck has made his trade request from the Winnipeg Jets public, with a statement on social media via his agent, Ray Petkau.
“Several months ago, I privately requested a trade,” Hellebuyck said in the statement. “I have tried to handle this situation quietly and respectfully while giving the organization time to explore its options. With training camp approaching, I felt it was important to publicly confirm my request. My position has not changed, and I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family.”
Before the public statement, several insiders revealed that the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes had made offers to the Jets, but the Jets turned them down. Outside of the Sabres and Hurricanes, the New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, and the Florida Panthers are said to have, or had, interest in acquiring the three-time Vezina Trophy and one-time Hart Trophy winner.
Friedman said the Panthers were "hot" for Hellebuyck, but since the Brady Tkachuk trade, making a deal has become much harder.
"I think one of the teams that was really in this hot was Florida," said Friedman. "And I think one of the challenges is that part of Florida's package, not all of Florida's package, but part of it was what they traded to Ottawa to get Brady Tkachuk. So, does Florida have anything that still makes sense?"
There are several roadblocks the Panthers must overcome to land Hellebuyck. For starters, their trade assets are scarce. They have no first-round picks in any of the next three NHL drafts, own a thin prospect pool that doesn't feature any projected stars, and they don't have the cap space to fit Hellebuyck.
Although the Panthers would likely deal an NHL player back in a move for Hellebuyck, they would still be required to clear additional space to fit his $8.5 million AAV contract.
Then comes the issue with Jacob Markstrom. The Panthers made a deal with the Devils to bring back their 2008 first-round pick. Moving on from him before the season starts would be a poor use of assets, and they'd have to navigate his 20-team no-trade list.
While picturing Hellebuyck backstopping this Panthers team is fun, and it would make for one of the more dominant rosters in the NHL, it's likely impossible for the Panthers to acquire him.
It would be nothing short of a miracle if they did.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source.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 32-year-old forward announced his retirement from professional hockey on Instagram, with TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie also sharing the news.
For the Utah Mammoth, Dea’s retirement brings an end to a career that included a brief stop with the franchise when it was still the Arizona Coyotes.
Dea played four games for Arizona during the 2021-22 season, recording one assist. It was a small part of a career that took the Laval, Quebec, native through several NHL organizations and overseas before ultimately bringing him back home.
Dea began his professional career near the end of the 2013-14 season after three years with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL. He signed with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins as an undrafted free agent and spent much of the next five seasons with the club.
He became a consistent scorer in the AHL, putting up 72 goals and 163 points in 287 games. He also got his chance in the NHL, playing nine games with the Pittsburgh Penguins and scoring twice.
The 2018-19 season saw Dea move between Pittsburgh and the New Jersey Devils after being claimed off waivers by both teams. He scored three goals and five points in 20 games with New Jersey.
Following that season, Dea continued his journey around professional hockey, spending time in the organizations of the Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens and Coyotes.
His best AHL season came in 2021-22 with the Laval Rocket. Playing for his hometown team, Dea scored 26 goals and finished with 52 points in 70 games.
After his time in North America, Dea took his career overseas. He spent several seasons with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the KHL before finishing his career with Eisbären Berlin of the DEL.
Dea leaves professional hockey with 153 goals and 341 points in 517 AHL games. He also appeared in 37 NHL games, recording five goals and seven points.
His four games with the Coyotes may have been just a small chapter in his career, but they are now part of the history of the franchise that has become the Utah Mammoth.
After more than a decade spent chasing the game across North America and Europe, Dea is finally hanging up the skates.
The Detroit Red Wings have just over one week before they gather for Training Camp at Little Caesars Arena (Sept, 17).
As of Tuesday morning, the Red Wings still lack a general manager, so neither captain Dylan Larkin’s trade request has gained traction under a new executive nor has restricted free-agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson signed a new contract.
However, the latest on Edvinsson paints an optimistic picture for the time being. Per NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun, the Swedish native plans to be with the Red Wings for Training Camp, which starts next Thursday.
"Hearing that RFA Simon Edvinsson intends to still be at Detroit’s training camp next week even if still unsigned. Patiently waiting for the Red Wings GM situation to iron itself out before resuming negotiations," LeBrun wrote on X.
Last month, Edvinsson's agent Peter Werner disclosed that they are "patiently waiting" for the next Red Wings general manager to be named before resuming negotiations, via the Swedish publication Expressen.
"We are waiting patiently for a new general manager, says Edvinsson's agent, Peter Werner, to Expressen."
Edvinsson was taken by the Red WIngs in the first round (sixth overall pick) in the 2021 NHL Draft. Through 179 career games, Edvinsson has recorded 19 goals and 41 assists for 60 points and has averaged 21:09 of ice time per game while posting a plus-17 rating.
Edvinsson took another step forward last season, his second full campaign in the NHL. He found the back of the net a career-high nine times and ranked second among Detroit defensemen, behind only Moritz Seider in ice time.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
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.
DENVER, COLORADO - NOVEMBER 04: Tristen Nielsen #57 of the Colorado Avalanche skates in his rookie lap prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Ball Arena on November 04, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
It is an annual tradition here at Mile High Hockey to anticipate and predict which players could make their NHL debut while playing for the Colorado Avalanche in the coming season. The possibilities run the gamut from a young prospect to a minor league journeymen with a few surprises sprinkled in between. Either way, witnessing a dream come true is always fun and memorable. Now, we’ll look at how the predictions turned out from last season and look ahead to the 2026-27 candidates.
Tallying Last Year
After an unprecedented nine NHL debuts in the 2024-25 season, things calmed down to a more manageable three introductions, all forwards, to “The Show” in 2025-26. Two names were mentioned in our forecast, with the more significant being Taylor Makar who was one of the first recalls to the Avalanche and received 12 total NHL games. Russian import Zakhar Bardakov was also highly likely after signing out of the KHL and he indeed made the team out of camp to play 60 games in Colorado. One final surprise was the 25-year-old AHL veteran Tristen Nielsen who got in four games with the Avalanche as his first taste of NHL action.
The collective at Mile High Hockey deserves a pat on the back for correctly predicting the number of 2-to-3 Avalanche NHL debuts in our poll. Will we be so lucky again this season?
How many players do you predict will make their NHL debut this season with the Avalanche?
As always, there’s a wide variety of NHL debut candidates to consider for the upcoming season. Even with removing most of the speculative “youth movement” forward options including Gavin Brindley, Fabian Lysell, Fedor Svechkov, Zach L’Heureux and the aforementioned Taylor Makar as they each already have NHL experience.
Last year’s possibilities who have yet to come to fruition are currently the three at the top of our list. Defenseman Sean Behrens has been mentioned in these predictions for the last four years. Will he get a game with the Avalanche in the last year of his Entry Level Contract? Goaltender Ilya Nabokov has also been inching towards the crease in Colorado since he was drafted in 2024. Now he has a NHL contract in hand and is expected play in North America this season, it has to happen soon, right? Defenseman Alex Gagne almost made his debut after getting called up during the 2026 playoff run, therefore it shouldn’t be a stretch to expect him to get the call sometime this upcoming season.
The duo of college free agent forwards signed last spring also seem the most likely to get a look. TJ Hughes, who was just recently at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase doing press photos in Avalanche gear, is a near lock. Fellow recent signee Matthew DiMarsico should also be sitting at the top of the organization’s list. Both made their debuts for the Colorado Eagles in the spring and did well enough to earn some favor heading into the 2026-27 season.
There’s always a surprise we didn’t see coming. Be it either a AHL veteran who finally gets a reward with a game of NHL experience to his name, a college free agent entering the fold in the spring or an existing prospect who turns pro after his NCAA season. I’ll go out on a limb and predict this season’s surprise NHL debut is the newly signed goaltender Nikita Novosyolov. He’s pretty low on a strong depth chart in goal but things usually get crazy once a season in net and the Avalanche called up (now departed) depth goaltender Isak Posch quite a bit as insurance last season, therefore it’s not impossible .
How many NHL debuts do we expect this season for the #goavsgo?
He signed a seven-year contract at a $7.2-million annual salary cap hit, totalling $50.4 million over the course of the deal. This contract will kick in for the 2027-28 season, as Minten is entering the final year of his entry-level contract that he signed with the Leafs.
This contract will expire following the 2033-34 campaign, leading Minten to unrestricted free agency at age 29.
As it stands going for the 2027-28 season, Minten will be the fourth-highest-paid forward on the Bruins' payroll, only behind David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm and JJ Peterka.
The 22-year-old was traded to Boston in 2024-25 at the trade deadline by former Toronto GM Brad Treliving. The Maple Leafs sent a 2025 fourth-round pick, a 2026 conditional first-round pick and Minten in return for defenseman Brandon Carlo.
As for Minten, selected 38th overall in the 2022 draft by Toronto, he played his first full NHL season last year with the Bruins. He featured in all 82 regular-season games, posting 17 goals and 35 points. He also registered a plus-21 rating and averaged 15:33 of ice time per game.
In total, the Vancouver native has appeared in 88 regular-season games and six playoff games for Boston, scoring 36 points - none in the post-season.
For the Maple Leafs, Minten crept into the NHL lineup a few times. In 2023-24, he got his first taste of the NHL with four games and no points to show for it. The next season, he earned 15 games with the Leafs, recording two goals and two assists for four points.
See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source
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.
Four members of the Winnipeg Jets organization were among the young players taking part in the NHL/NHLPA Player Orientation Program in Virginia last week.
Viggo Björck, Danny Zhilkin, Tyrel Bauer and Isaak Phillips represented the Jets at the annual three-day event, which is jointly administered by the NHL and NHL Players' Association.
Photo courtesy of the NHLPA
The program was established following collective bargaining in 2013 and is designed to prepare young players for life in professional hockey, with approximately 90 players selected by their respective clubs to participate each summer.
The orientation extends well beyond what happens on the ice.
Players take part in sessions covering financial literacy, personal branding, media and social media, mental health, medical rights, gambling, personal safety and sensitivity training. The program also introduces players to resources available through the NHL and NHLPA as they begin their professional careers.
For Winnipeg, the four attendees represent varying stages within the organization.
Björck, selected eighth overall by the Jets at the 2026 NHL Draft, is Winnipeg's highest draft pick since Patrik Laine went second overall in 2016. The 18-year-old is considered the organization's top prospect and could make his NHL debut as early as this season.
Zhilkin, meanwhile, continues his development within the Jets organization, while Bauer has already spent four seasons with the Manitoba Moose. The 24-year-old defenceman recently signed a two-year extension with Winnipeg after recording five points and 110 penalty minutes in 52 AHL games last season.
Phillips rounds out Winnipeg's four representatives at the event.
With rookie and prospect camps approaching and NHL training camps set to open later this month, the orientation serves as one of the final off-ice stops before players turn their attention toward the 2026-27 season.
ELMONT, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 28: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins arrives to the arena prior to the game against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on December 28, 2024 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Michael Mooney/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Timely enough off the heels of the Labor Day holiday yesterday, the NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement, the labor rules agreed to by the NHL and the NHLPA, kicks in next week. The new agreement is in place through September 2030, marking the second time in a row the two sides have put a deal in place without missing any time. That’s no small matter, prior to the recent labor peace the NHL owners have locked out the players in 2004 and 2012 for significant periods that cost a total of 116 games.
These days, fortunately for all, there is more cooperation and perhaps about the best working relationship between the owners and players that we have seen in hockey. Those good feelings are no doubt influenced by business as a whole booming – revenue is way up so their is more money to be made by both sides. Further, ownership is absolutely swimming in vastly increased valuation and sale prices lately – look no further than the Penguins selling for $1.75 billion in 2026 after selling for $900 million just five years earlier.
The new CBA had some rules come on board early for last season – like LTIR tweaks and the playoff salary cap. Here are a few more interesting tweaks in place.
Training camps open Sept. 16 to coincide with the start of that new labor deal, and they’ll look much different than they did in the past. Experienced players will be put through only a 13-day camp, down from 20 days, and those with at least 100 NHL games on their resumes are now limited to two exhibition games. Each team will play only four exhibition games.
The preseason shrinks again, at least formally. Most players across the league are already skating informally with their teammates and have been for a week or more by this point. That amount of time in the pre-practice stage will now be longer than the formal, official 13-day training camp. Long gone are the days of multiple on-ice sessions per day. In fact, teams can also no longer implement fitness testing for unpopular tests on the exercise bike or the so-called dreaded bag skate or repetitive timed sprints.
The schedule has also been adjusted to drop two exhibition games and add on two more regular season games, boosting the season to 84-games. What the players earn in less games that don’t count are balanced out by adding more games that are meaningful, surely to the delight of season ticket holders everywhere.
Another new change is each team will employ a full-time emergency backup goalie, no longer being a single goalie per arena that could play for either team that might need it.
the new CBA includes a provision requiring each club to carry an emergency backup goaltender (EBUG) “prepared to enter all of its home and away games.”
The eligible goalies must meet a narrow band of requirements. They can’t have previously played an NHL game on a standard player contract, can’t have more than 80 games of professional experience, can’t have been a professional in the past three seasons, can’t have another contractual obligation that would preclude their ability to be an emergency goalie and can’t be on the reserve list of an NHL club.
The Penguins have designated 40-year old Mike Chiasson as their EBUG. Chiasson is no stranger to the organization, working as a ‘Goaltending Consultant’ and has been involved with the Pittsburgh Penguins elite youth program for the last decade.
We’ve been seeing this more, teams can use this extra goalie to help in practices (also serving to keep their EBUG somewhat sharp) to reduce the workload on their two NHL goalies – particularly if one might have a minor injury or illness. The EBUG will now be a pseudo-member of the team, in the shadows but always hanging around and ready just in case.
There’s a new rule for young players as well.
The new CBA gives teams more flexibility to develop their top prospects because it now allows players drafted in the first round out of the Canadian Hockey League to be assigned to the AHL for their 19-year-old season.
Previously, teenagers had to be sent back to their CHL teams and weren’t eligible for that kind of assignment.
Since the player has to be a first round pick, this wouldn’t have changed Harrison Brunicke’s situation last year. It doesn’t apply for the Penguins this year – Bill Zonnon turns 20 in early October and is eligible for the AHL this season as it is. Technically, it does mean Ben Kindel is now AHL eligible, though his play on ice has shown him to be of NHL quality.
This could be in the cards next year in 2027-28, as Liam Ruck will be eligible to play in the AHL. However, his twin brother Markus will not – since Markus was a second round choice. Marty Walsh, an NHLPA VP, is quoted in the article that the same NHL team can have multiple 19-year olds in the AHL provided they are first round picks (which also might shed some light on why the Pens wanted to trade back into the first round this summer).
The Ruck twins are committed to play at the University of North Dakota for 2027-28, plans are always subject to change so that could be something to monitor in 12 months to see if the team opts to split the paths of the twins or have both stay together at the collegiate level.
Things will be getting a little more informal with the outfits seen on social media for pre-game entrances by players.
The requirement that NHL players wear a suit and tie to games is officially a thing of the past.
In fact, the dress code was actually eliminated during the 2025-26 season as part of early transition dates agreed upon for the new CBA. However, the new standard wasn’t always observed properly last season.
“There was a little hiccup with the dress code,” Walsh said. “Some coaches and GMs and other players wanted players to wear suits and that’s not the rule anymore. Players can wear whatever they want.”
Small change for the outside, but nice for the players. It still seemed like most of the Penguins were dressed up going into the rink last year, that probably won’t change much. Ever the creature of habit, we wouldn’t expect Sidney Crosby to start rolling up in sweats just because he can. But if he wanted to, he could.
That’s about it for the major changes. One other adjustment going into effect is that players can only be signed for a maximum of seven years, starting next week. We already saw the Penguins take (what they hope will be) advantage of the eight year deal by signing Ville Koivunen last month. Unfortunately for them, Pittsburgh can’t extend Kindel until July 1, 2028 – and by that time it will only be for up to seven years if they want to employ the similar strategy to lock up a young player through his prime at what could be a team-friendly figure by the end of the deal.
As mentioned above, the LTIR rules from last year are in place. If an injured player is expected to return during the regular season or playoffs, team cap relief is restricted to the previous season’s league average salary ($3,973,228 for the 2026-27 season). If the player is deemed out for the balance, the team can get the full cap hit on LTIR but that player is ineligible to suit up again.
The Pens won’t have to worry about that any time soon, they have over $10 million in cap space and LTIR is only in place when a team runs out of space. Any injured player for them this season can and will be placed on the regular IR where the team carries their normal cap hit, given that they have plenty of room to call-up a replacement from the AHL that typically comes with a relatively modest cap hit.
That is all the Canucks needed to see before committing $75.04 million to Zeev Buium. The 20-year-old defenceman signed an eight-year, $75.04 million extension on Sept. 4. It begins in 2027–28 and carries a $9.38 million cap hit.
At first, the numbers can be startling. The comparison becomes even more interesting when another young defenceman is added to the picture.
Lane Hutson won the Calder Trophy after producing 66 points as a rookie. In return, the Montréal Canadiens gave him an eight-year extension worth $8.85 million annually. Buium, with 26 points in 76 NHL games, will make $530,000 more per season.
One had already produced at an elite offensive level. The other is still being paid for what Vancouver believes he can become. The salary cap paints a different picture.
The Math Changes
Hutson's extension begins this season, when the salary cap is projected at $104 million. His cap hit represents roughly 8.5%of the ceiling. Buium's begins one year later, when the cap is projected to rise to $113.5 million. His larger cap hit would account for roughly 8.3%. He will make more than Hutson while taking up slightly less of the cap.
That does not erase the difference in what they have accomplished. But it changes what Vancouver's commitment represents. "This contract isn't about Zeev the player today or tomorrow," general manager Ryan Johnson said after the signing. "It's where we see him in three, four and five years."
The Projection Is Still A Projection
Buium produced 98 points in 83 games at the University of Denver. His role also expanded after arriving in Vancouver, with his average ice time rising from 18:27 with the Minnesota Wild to 20:20 with the Canucks.
But his first NHL season showed how much development is still being priced into the deal. According to BenchRates, Buium ranked in the 11th percentile among NHL defencemen in first-assist production.
For a defenceman whose passing was expected to be one of the most translatable parts of his game, that is notable. It does not mean the ability disappeared. Buium was adjusting to NHL pace, teammates and role.
After 76 games, there simply is not enough evidence to know how close Buium will come to Vancouver's projection.
What Waiting Could Have Cost
Another season would have provided more evidence, but it also could have made Buium more expensive.
There is precedent for acting this early. Jake Sanderson played 77 NHL games, all during his rookie season, when the Ottawa Senators committed eight years and $64.4 million to him. As mentioned, Buium has played 76.
Sanderson's $8.05-million cap hit represented roughly 9.1% of the $88-million ceiling when his contract began. Buium's is scheduled to begin at roughly 8.3%. The dollar figure is higher. The relative commitment is smaller.
The comparison does not make Buium's deal a slam-dunk bargain. Sanderson had also produced 32 points in 77 games before signing, compared with Buium's 26 in 76. It does show Vancouver is not alone in betting on a young defenceman before a second NHL season provides more answers.
The timing mattered for another reason. Buium signed on Sept. 4. Sept. 15 is the final day teams can sign players to eight-year extensions before the NHL's new seven-year maximum takes effect on Sept. 16.
Waiting would have provided more information, but it also could have meant a higher price and one fewer year of control. The Canucks chose the certainty within the uncertainty. Buium's ceiling is still unknown. His price is not.
How Good Does Buium Need To Become?
If Buium develops into a legitimate No. 1 defenceman, Vancouver likely has little to worry about. But he may not need to reach that level for the contract to work.
If he settles in as a high-end top-four defenceman who moves the puck, contributes offensively and handles significant minutes, the rising cap gives Vancouver some margin for error. At a hypothetical $125 million ceiling, his $9.38 million cap hit would occupy roughly 7.5% of the cap. At $135 million, it would fall below seven percent. Those are not projections. They show how the relative cost of a fixed contract can decline as the market grows.
If Buium becomes a high-end top-four defenceman, his development may be enough to outpace the relative cost of the contract. That may be enough to justify it. Ultimately, though, the Canucks will be hoping for more. They committed eight years and $75.04 million because they believe Buium can become a true top-pairing defenceman.
Dec 27, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Zeev Buium (24) skates against the San Jose Sharks in the first 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.
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 18: Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) skates during the first period of the Philadelphia Flyers versus Pittsburgh Penguins in Game One of the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round on April 18, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Fans got a first look this week at what Pittsburgh Penguins players will look like in the upcoming release of EA Sports’ NHL 27.
X user @TestOnAQuest shared screenshots of what are reportedly player face scans from the new game, which will be released worldwide this Friday.
EA Sports has previously released rankings for the Penguins players featured in the game. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson are ranked within the top 100 players in the game.
Here’s a look at the overall rankings for the Penguins players according to EA Sports:
No. 8: Sidney Crosby, OVR 95
No. 73: Evgeni Malkin, OVR 89
No. 89: Erik Karlsson, OVR 88
No. 164: Rickard Rakell, OVR 86
No. 172: Bryan Rust, OVR 86
No. 240: Samuel Girard, OVR 85
No. 261: Kris Letang, OVR 85
No. 295: Benjamin Kindel, OVR 84
Players who pre-ordered the deluxe edition have had access to the game since Sept. 4. The game will officially release Friday, the day before Penguins prospects kick off the 2026 NHL prospect tournament Saturday in Detroit.
The Penguins have yet to announce which players will be featured on that roster, although last year the franchise waited until the day before the event started to confirm which participants would be attending.
We got a good answer Tuesday morning when they announced a seven-year contract extension for the 22-year-old center worth $50.4 million ($7.2 milion salary cap hit). Minten has one more year remaining on his entry-level contract, so this extension will begin in 2027-28 and run through the 2033-34 season.
“We are excited to have signed Fraser to a long-term extension,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said in a statement. “Since joining our organization, Fraser has continued to grow and earn the accelerated trust of his teammates and coaching staff.
“His hockey sense, competitiveness, responsible two-way game, and offensive growth make him a valuable player for our group. This is a mutual long-term commitment that reflects our confidence in Fraser and the important role he will play, as well as Fraser’s belief in our team moving forward.”
The Bruins acquired Minten as part of the Brandon Carlo trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs in March of 2025. He enjoyed a breakout 2025-26 campaign with career highs of 17 goals, 18 assists and 82 games played. He was the NHL’s Rookie of the Month in January and his plus/minus of plus-21 led all rookie forwards.
Minten has the potential to be a 55-65 point scorer in the near future. But his skill set is much more than offense. He is a very smart two-way player with good defensive instincts. He had a meaningful role on the penalty kill last season and did not look overmatched when playing against top-tier forwards.
The Bruins had a plus-18 goal differential, a plus-19 edge in scoring chances and a .933 save percentage during Minten’s 1011:55 of 5-on-5 ice time last season. Minten plays the game the right way. He’s well-positioned, doesn’t take dumb risks, moves well without the puck, etc.
He doesn’t project to be a No. 1 center, but he could be a solid No. 2 center in the near future, and if that outcome plays out, his $7.2 million cap hit will be a steal.
And that’s why this deal is a smart bet for the Bruins.
The league’s salary cap has gone way up in recent years and it’s projected to keep climbing at a consistent rate. The salary cap ceiling in the 2025-26 season was $95.5 million, followed by $104 million this coming season and a projection of $113.5 million in 2027-28.
The rise in the salary cap has led to some massive contracts being signed this offseason. Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar recently signed an eight-year extension worth a record $20.4 million per season. The rising player salaries makes it more worthwhile for teams to lock up young players to long-term extensions earlier than they might have in previous years.
Minten isn’t worth $7.2 million right now, but he easily could be worth much more than that in the near future. It’s a risk worth taking for the Bruins because it’s better to pay Minten $7.2 million than well over $10 million if he becomes a real second-line center.
The league has seen two different recent examples of how teams have handled the rising cap.
The Montreal Canadiens have handled it almost flawlessly. They have drafted, traded and developed very well over the last five to seven seasons, building a tremendous young core of Nick Suzuki (trade), Cole Caufield (draft), Juraj Slafkovsky (draft), Ivan Demidov (draft) and Lane Hutson (draft). Each of these five players have signed long term for under $9.2 million per season. Suzuki, Caufield and Slafkovsky all have a cap hit under $7.9 million. Starting goalie Jakub Dobes begins a team-friendly three-year extension with a $5.3 million cap hit in 2027-28.
The Canadiens were aggressive in signing their good young players early and taking that risk. It already has, and should continue to pay huge dividends for them. They are set up to win for a while.
The Anaheim Ducks have not handled their core in a similar fashion. They didn’t extend center Leo Carlsson early enough and he signed a five-year offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers this summer worth $18 million per year over the next five seasons. The Ducks matched the offer sheet to keep Carlsson, and now have to pay $18 million — or 17.3 percent of this season’s cap — for a 21-year-old forward who tallied 67 points last season.
The Ducks also have a 41-goal forward in Cutter Gauthier who’s still a restricted free agent with the regular season starting in three weeks. They didn’t sign him early, either, and it’ll likely cost them.
Anaheim’s situation is one that other teams should do everything to avoid. Drafting and developing at a high level is fantastic, but it’s often hard to pay everyone in a hard-cap league and still have enough flexibility to build enough depth to be a long-term contender.
There are some situations where a player is going to get huge money right away. The San Jose Sharks signed superstar center Macklin Celebrini to a five-year extension worth $18.8 million per season back in July. Celebrini just tallied 115 points in his second pro season and is already one of the league’s best players.
But in other cases, with players who don’t immediately jump to a top-tier level in their first two seasons, it makes sense to pay them early and try to save on the salary cap later in the deal.
There is risk for the Bruins with the Minten deal. If he only ends up being a two-way center who posts 40-50 points per season, then it won’t be an amazing contract. But the potential rewards far outweigh the potential risks, which is why the Bruins were smart to take this swing on a young player they very much believe in.
