]The Buffalo Sabres’ 2025-26 season was a huge relief to long-suffering Sabres fans, as they finished first in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division. They also beat the Boston Bruins in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in Round 2. Things are definitely looking up for this Sabres squad.

Meanwhile, here at TheHockeyNews.com, we're analyzing the Sabres’ Eastern Conference opponents in an online series titled “Know Your Enemy”. For the second straight season, we’re breaking down how Buffalo played against each East team, as well as how they’re likely to fare against them in 2026-27. And in this particular file, we’re focused on the New Jersey Devils. 

The Devils made some notable changes – first and foremost, in net. But what can we expect from New Jersey this year?.

BUFFALO SABRES VS. NEW JERSEY DEVILS

NEW DEVILS PLAYERS: Sunny Mehta (GM), David Rittich (G), Anthony Mantha (LW), Evan Rodrigues (RW), Jesper Boqvist (LW), Luke Evangelista (RW)

2025-26 SERIES: Sabres 2-1-0, Devils 1-2-0

2026-27 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER: December 26, at Buffalo; January 12 at Buffalo; February 20 at New Jersey

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM? The Devils dealt veteran Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers, and to replace him, New Jersey signed journeyman Rittich, who posted a save percentage of .894 or worse in each of the past two seasons. That shouldn’t cause Devils fans to be overly optimistic about their chances of making the playoffs this year – unless, say, new GM Mehta pulls off a blockbuster trade for Winnipeg Jets superstar netminder Connor Hellebuyck. If that happens, all bets are off for the ceiling for New Jersey. 

However, as it stands, the Devils are a very beatable group. The Hughes Bros., Luke and Jack Hughes, may be waiting on brother Quinn Hughes if he leaves the Minnesota Wild. And again, if that’s the caliber of player Mehta can bring in, suddenly New Jersey rockets near or at the top of the Metropolitan Division. 

The Sabres will see the Devils three times in less than two months, beginning on Boxing Day and ending 55 days later. But two of the games against New Jersey will take place in Buffalo, and the Sabres need to take advantage of that. Buffalo’s home record last season was a solid 26-10-5, and that means there’s no excuse for them not to make the most of their games at KeyBank Center. And that goes double against the Devils, who were a thoroughly-mediocre 21-20-0 on the road.

New Jersey is clearly still a work-in-progress, so the Sabres can’t take their foot off the gas simply because the Devils aren’t particularly imposing at the moment. If Buffalo is to repeat as Atlantic regular-season champs, they have to make the most of games against teams they ought to beat – and right now, the Devils are most-definitely a team they ought to beat this season.

Giving up valuable standings points to non-elite teams will only hurt the Sabres, and coach Lindy Ruff must ensure his team are stone-cold killers against weaker opponents.

On Thursday, the Philadelphia Flyers will kick off their on-ice portion of their 2026 training camp, and with a shorter overall camp and preseason this year, the roster battles and jostling for ice time will be as fierce as ever.

But, before anywhere, we have to establish the present to give context to the future. After all, the NHL roster is already looking considerably different than it did this time last year.

Rookies Porter Martone, Alex Bump, and Denver Barkey are all primed to stick out of the gate this year, while players like Noah Juulsen, Egor Zamula, Sam Ersson, Garnet Hathaway, Nick Deslauriers, Rodrigo Abols, and Bobby Brink are all out of the picture entirely.

Until we see how things stack up, it'll be nearly impossible to predict how the Flyers will line up and who will play with who, which is why an assessment of the overall depth chart will be our most useful tool in the meantime.

As a reminder, these aren't line combinations or predictions, but more of a representation of a given player's role and usage in the lineup.

Forwards

Tyson Foerster - Trevor Zegras - Travis Konecny

Owen Tippett - Christian Dvorak - Matvei Michkov

Denver Barkey - Noah Cates - Porter Martone

Nikita Grebenkin (inj.) - Sean Couturier - Noel Acciari

Alex Bump - Jett Luchanko - Carl Grundstrom

Zach Aston-Reese - Jacob Gaucher - Danila Klimovich

Nolan Foote - Jack Studnicka - Cole Knuble

Noah Powell - Riley Thompson - Devin Kaplan

Rationale

The placements of players like Matvei Michkov, Martone, Barkey, and Bump is going to depend largely on how head coach Rick Tocchet wants to deploy them.

If Michkov is really in much better shape than he was this time last year, he should be squarely ahead of the less experienced Martone.

Barkey and Nikita Grebenkin, who is currently dealing with a setback, have skills that lend themselves better to a bottom-six role than what Bump has, though I expect all three to make the NHL roster.

The Flyers only want Jett Luchanko in the lineup if he's going to play and one of the 12 best forwards on the team, but in the event of injury (particularly long-term), he should be the first man up for them.

Cole Knuble has been impressive throughout rookie camp, but some of the journeymen are going to be ahead of him in the pecking order for now having considerably more NHL and AHL experience.

With their penalty-killing skills, I expect Tyson Foerster and Travis Konecny to be the two wingers deployed the most, with Trevor Zegras reprising his role as the go-to guy for this Flyers team.

Defense

Travis Sanheim - Jamie Drysdale

Cam York - Rasmus Ristolainen

Nick Seeler - David Jiricek

Simon Benoit - Oliver Bonk

Ty Murchison - Helge Grans

Hunter McDonald - Cam Dineen

Jackson Edward - Spencer Gill

Rationale

When it comes down to it, defense should be the most polarizing group on the Flyers' roster. Although trade rumors persist and on an expiring contract, Rasmus Ristolainen remains with the Flyers, while Jamie Drysdale continues to trend towards becoming one of the better two-way defenders in the NHL.

Cam York is a fine second-pair guy, and everything after those four is a bit murky.

Veteran Nick Seeler regressed last year and turned 33 years old three months ago, while David Jiricek, still just 22 years old, must prove himself at the NHL level or risk being exposed to waivers for the first time in his young career.

Newcomer Simon Benoit is the likeliest to take up Juulsen's mantle as the meat-and-potatoes No. 7 guy, though Flyers GM Danny Briere left the door open to carrying eight defenders when doing his press conference on Tuesday.

That means opportunity for someone like Ty Murchison, who could very well grow into an option superior to Benoit or Seeler at a lower price, or Oliver Bonk, who has continued to impress after earning an NHL debut and Stanley Cup playoff debut late last season.

For now, Hunter McDonald and Helge Grans remain on the outside looking in, though they could jump up the depth chart quickly with tidy preseason performances. The numbers game just doesn't work in their favor, and especially not for Grans.

I could see McDonald and Murchison replacing Seeler and Benoit by season's end, particularly if the Flyers are sellers at the trade deadline.

You all know how much I like Spencer Gill, but with the considerable amount of time he's missed due to injury since being drafted in 2024, I think the Flyers are committed to letting him spend the full year in the AHL to gain experience and continue developing.

The NHL's most famous beard is gone.

Well, not gone but trimmed to respectability.

Brent Burns, the 41-year-old defenseman who's entering his 23rd season in the NHL, showed up at the Colorado Avalanche's training camp on Wednesday, Sept. 16, with a different look.

Gone is the long hair and long bushy beard. It's replaced by a trimmed look that makes him appear younger. His gap-toothed look is gone, too.

The facial hair had been legendary and Burns embraced it by wearing a Chewbacca mask at the 2016 NHL All-Star Game skills competition in Nashville.

Here is how Burns looks this week, plus how he looked last season:

Fresh look for Brent Burns heading into this season 👀 pic.twitter.com/Tkrp11ySvh

— Bailey Curtis (@baileyycurtis) September 16, 2026

Hey, things change.

Even Joe Thornton shaved the NHL's second-best beard once.

Brent Burns can set record this season

Burns is entering an important season after he signed a one-year deal to give him a second season with the Avalanche.

He's still seeking his first Stanley Cup and the Avalanche will be among the favorites again this season.

He has skated in 1,007 consecutive games and needs 58 games this season to top Phil Kessel's ironman record.

Burns, who hasn't missed a game since 2013-14, averaged nearly 19 minutes a game and scored 12 goals and 35 points last season.

The San Jose Sharks are set to kick off their 2026 Training Camp on Thursday, and ahead of the annual event they announced which players have been invited to participate. 

There are 28 forwards set to attend this fall's training camp. While the NHL regulars like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and Tyler Toffoli will be there, quite a few players expected to play for the San Jose Barracuda will also attend.

Forwards:

Alex Barre-Boulet 

Filip Bystedt

Ethan Cardwell

Macklin Celebrini

Igor Chernyshov

Ty Dellandrea

Tye Felhaber

Andre Gasseau

Adam Gaudette

Patrick Giles

Barclay Goodrow

Collin Graf

Jake Gustafson

Donavan Houle

Jimmy Huntington

Brett Leason

Cam Lund

Mason Marchment

Michael Misa

Quentin Musty

Zack Ostapchuk

Kiefer Sherwood

Will Smith

Ivar Stenberg

Tyler Toffoli

Anthony Vincent

Alexander Wennberg

Carson Wetsch

There are also 15 defensemen and five goaltenders set to participate in this year's training camp.

Defensemen:

Nolan Allan

Luca Cagnoni

Sam Dickinson

Libor Hajek

Mattias Havelid

Alexander Karmanov

Michael Kesselring

Roland McKeown

Darnell Nurse

Mack Oliphant

Dmitry Orlov

Eric Pohlkamp

Leo Sahlin-Wallenius

Phillip Sinn

Jacob Trouba

Goaltenders:

Yaroslav Askarov

Eric Comrie

Matt Davis

Brady Knowling

Alex Nedeljkovic

Interestingly, recently signed netminder Ilya Samsonov will not be attending training camp.

San Jose Sharks fans, and players for that matter, have had different opinions on Ryan Reaves during his time in the NHL but it's now been confirmed that his last NHL season was spent with the team in teal. On Wednesday, the veteran winger took to social media to officially announce his retirement.

For many years, Sharks fans hated Reaves due to his time with the Vegas Golden Knights, but it didn't take long for the public opinion to change once he arrived in the Bay Area. His personality off the ice quickly turned him into a fan favorite, even with some of those who weren't happy with his on ice contributions. 

Now 39 years old, Reaves started his career with the St. Louis Blues organization after they drafted him 156th overall in 2005. Roughly five years later, he made his NHL debut and remained in St. Louis through the 2016-17 season. He then had stints with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the aforementioned Golden Knights, the New York Rangers, the Minnesota Wild, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and eventually, the Sharks. 

Reaves finishes his career with 962 games played, 66 goals, 74 assists, and 1,137 penalty minutes. 

Whether you're a Swedish fan looking to follow the careers of Alexander Wennberg and Ivar Stenberg or a Finnish fan who just really likes Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini, there's a new way for fans in Sweden and Finland to watch the San Jose Sharks, and the NHL in general, this year.

On Wednesday, the NHL and Disney+ announced a five-year agreement that will carry coverage of 160 regular season games, 50 of which are going to be scheduled during Nordic primetime. This agreement comes after the recent launch of ESPN on Disney+ in these markets.

“The NHL’s connection to fans across the Nordic region and internationally has never been stronger, driven by the success of both Nordic-born players in the NHL and our tremendous on-ice product overall," David Proper the Chief Media Officer & Senior Executive Vice President of the NHL stated in a press release. "Disney+ and ESPN are important in expanding our global reach and serving our international fans, providing broad access and unique perspective to NHL games and showcasing the incredible impact Nordic players continue to have on the sport.”

The release also noted that select games will be available on the Star Channel in Finland. 

ST. LOUIS -- Ryan Reaves is dropping the gloves for the last time.

Literally.

No, he won't be throwing haymakers anymore, he's literally dropping the gloves on his hockey career for the last time.

A fifth-round pick by the St. Louis Blues in the 2005 NHL Draft, the 39-year-old announced his retirement from the NHL on his Instagram page after 16 seasons:

Reaves shared in his post:

Dear Hockey,

It’s hard to put into words what you meant to me. What you mean to me.

I had dreams of being an athlete. Football, hockey—it didn’t matter. I learned at a young age that I just wanted to lay people out. The physical part of sports was what I was always drawn to. I knew that’s what I wanted, but tell 10-year-old Reavo he was going to play in the NHL for 16 seasons? I don’t think he’d believe you.

It’s hard to make this league. It’s even harder to stay in it. For everything I put into my 16 years, the game gave me back x1,000.

But unfortunately, Father Time remains undefeated. Every hit, every fight—it’s taken its final toll on me. I love this sport more than almost anything in this world. It has taken me to places I never thought I’d go and has introduced me to people I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. The fans, the haters, the ups, the downs…I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I never thought this day would come. I thought I was invincible. I thought I could play forever, but like all good things, it must come to an end.

Today, I retire from the sport I’ve loved since I was 5 years old. It was a hell of a ride. Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this journey. There are too many to single out, so you’ll hear from me at some point.

I may not be on the ice anymore, but I know I will always be close to hockey in one way or another.

You can rest easy knowing the corners are a little safer today.

Mic drop, gloves drop.

Reavo out.  

Reaves spent the first seven seasons of his NHL career with the Blues, which included 419 of his 962 career games that included 27 goals and 24 assists; he was one of the toughest fighters in the game in his time and totaled 1,137 penalty minutes, 695 with the Blues.

Reaves was a fan favorite in St. Louis and was a tough customer when the mitts were dropped and/or there were fisticuffs on the ice; he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins along with a second-round pick in 2017 for Oskar Sundqvist and a 2017 first-round pick (No. 31, which the Blues used to draft Klim Kostin).

Reaves played for seven teams in his NHL career including the Blues and Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs and last season with the San Jose Sharks.

He reached the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2017-18 when Vegas lost to the Washington Capitals.

Among some of fans' favorite Reaves moments included his blowing a kiss to the Dallas Stars bench during the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs and his entrance on the ice when he and then-teammate Vladimir Tarasenko would twirl and shoulder bump on their knees as warm-ups began.

Or wearing the hot dog hat given to the player of the game:

Or my personal favorite, when he came out to a press conference trying to look like Blues coach Ken Hitchcock had everyone in the room rolling:

Whatever comes next for Reaves is up to him, but one would think he would make a terrific -- and funny -- studio analyst.

Ten St. Louis Blues Players To Keep An Eye On As 2026-27 Training Camp Opens ThursdayFrom Mason McTavish to Connor McMichael to Robert Thomas to Jordan Binnington to Adam Jiricek, plenty of storylines to unfold with the Blues looking to get back into the Western Conference playoff mix

Brandon Carlo Welcomed, Needed A Trade; St. Louis Blues Came Calling For Someone With ExperienceAfter what veteran described as not being his best with Maple Leafs, 29-year-old brought to St. Louis to complement a defensive unit with size, length, bring stability

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.

For years, Ryan Reaves made a living doing something few NHL players ever truly master: making his presence felt before he even touched the puck.

Now, after 962 NHL games, more than 1,100 penalty minutes and a career built around toughness, loyalty and protecting his teammates, Reaves is officially walking away from the game.

The 39-year-old former Vegas Golden Knight announced his retirement Wednesday, bringing the curtain down on a career that carried him through seven NHL organizations and made him one of the league’s most recognizable physical players. Reaves confirmed the decision in a typically fitting Instagram post, writing, “You can rest easy knowing the corners are a little safer today. Mic drop, gloves drop. Reavo out.”

It was a fitting final line for a player who spent much of his career patrolling those very corners.

Reaves entered the NHL with the St. Louis Blues in 2010 and eventually became one of the sport’s most established enforcers, combining his imposing physical presence with a willingness to do the uncomfortable work that often went unnoticed on the scoresheet. He later suited up for the Pittsburgh Penguins before arriving in Vegas during the Golden Knights’ inaugural season.

That is where Reaves became part of one of the most memorable chapters in franchise history.

Vegas acquired Reaves from Pittsburgh during the 2017-18 season, and he quickly found a home in the Golden Knights’ lineup. His first season with the franchise ended with Vegas making an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final, and Reaves played a memorable role along the way.

His most recognizable moment came in the Western Conference Final against the Winnipeg Jets, when Reaves scored the series-clinching goal to send the Golden Knights to their first Stanley Cup Final.

He later scored in Game 1 of the Cup Final against the eventual champion Washington Capitals, adding another memorable moment to a postseason that helped establish the identity of the expansion franchise.

Reaves ultimately spent parts of four seasons in Vegas, appearing in 209 games while recording 18 goals, 24 assists and 42 points to go along with 158 penalty minutes.

But his impact on the Golden Knights was never going to be measured solely by statistics.

He was the player teammates knew would answer the bell. He brought an edge to a team that quickly developed a reputation for playing with emotion and intensity, while his personality made him a recognizable figure both inside and outside the locker room.

Vegas eventually traded Reaves to the New York Rangers in July 2021, ending his four-season run with the organization. General manager Kelly McCrimmon said at the time that Reaves’ “toughness, character and unique skill set” would be missed.

Reaves continued his career with the Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs and, most recently, the San Jose Sharks.

For Vegas, however, Reaves will always be remembered as one of the players who helped give the Golden Knights their identity during the franchise’s remarkable first years.

Now the gloves are officially hung up.

Reaves was also among the last active NHL players to play without a visor, leaving only Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars, Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators and Zach Bogosian of the Minnesota Wild as the league’s remaining visorless trio.

Longtime NHL enforcer Ryan Reaves announced his retirement from professional hockey on social media on Wednesday.

The 39-year-old, a former member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, wrote a long note to the sport he loves through an Instagram post.

The right winger played 16 seasons in the NHL, featuring in a total of 962 regular-season games and 113 playoff games. 

With the Maple Leafs, he played two seasons, in 2023-24 and 2024-25. He scored a total of four goals and eight points in 84 games with Toronto, which marked two of the three final years of his career.

Of course, Reaves wasn't known for finding his teammates with a pass or putting the puck in the back of the net. He was known for sticking up for teammates and dropping the gloves.

He recorded 77 penalty minutes with the Maple Leafs, for a total of 1,137 penalty minutes in his NHL career. Reaves also had eight regular-season fights with the Blue and White, according to HockeyFights.

Former Maple Leafs Defenseman John Klingberg Announces RetirementFormer Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman John Klingberg announced his retirement from professional hockey at 34 years old.

"I never thought this day would come. I thought I was invincible. I thought I could play forever, but like all good things, it must come to an end," Reaves wrote in his retirement post.

"Today, I retire from the sport I’ve loved since I was 5 years old. It was a hell of a ride. Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this journey. I may not be on the ice anymore, but I know I will always be close to hockey in one way or another. You can rest easy knowing the corners are a little safer today," he added.

"Mic drop, gloves drop. Reavo out."

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The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that RFA defenseman Alexander Nikishin will not be in attendance when training camp opens on Thursday.

The Russian defenseman has been in a contract stalemate with the Hurricanes since the end of last season and without a new deal, he won't be with the team.

"Alexander Nikishin is not under contract currently, so he will not be at camp when we hit the ice on Thursday," said Carolina general manager Eric Tulsky in a press release. "We won't be commenting further at this time."

Reports also surfaced that Nikishin requested a trade in the offseason, so there's no telling what direction this all goes.

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Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin, who has requested a trade, had announced plans this month to show up for training camp.

But he won't take part in early on-ice sessions for a different reason.

Red Wings interim GM Shawn Horcoff announced on Wednesday, Sept. 16, that Larkin would miss the start of camp because of an upper-body injury he suffered while he was training during the offseason.

He said the hope is Larkin can return before the end of camp, which runs from Thursday through Sunday, but he doesn't have a timeline at the moment.

Larkin, who is signed through 2031, made the trade request early in the offseason after the team missed the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season, but he announced on Sept. 11 that he would report to camp. The team said it would start this season without a captain, a role that Larkin had held since 2021.

NHL offseason grades Who aced the offseason? Who finished last?