The Montreal Canadiens should be on the hunt for some forward help before the start of the 2026-27 season.
One specific area that the Canadiens should look to improve is at the center position. When looking at trade candidates around the NHL, Calgary Flames center Morgan Frost stands out as a very intriguing potential option for the Habs to consider.
With the Flames being in the middle of a rebuild, questions about Frost's future in Calgary have come up this off-season. The fact that he is entering the final season of his contract in 2026-27 and is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) has also played a role in him being the rumor mill.
Although Frost would not be the biggest of additions for the Canadiens, he could provide them with some help down the middle. The 27-year-old center is coming off a solid 2025-26 season with the Flames, as he scored a career-high 22 goals and posted 43 points. With numbers like these, he would have the potential to be a strong pickup for the Canadiens' middle six if acquired.
Ultimately, with the Canadiens needing some forward help, it could make sense for them take a chance on a player like Frost. There is always the chance that the 2017 first-round pick could improve his offense a bit in Montreal, too, as he would have more support around him than he does in Calgary.
With the oncoming start of a new NHL season comes the beginning of milestone countdowns for the Vancouver Canucks. As it stands, seven players currently on Vancouver’s roster have the chance to hit personal and franchise goal-scoring milestones during the 2026–27 season.
Elias Pettersson & Brock Boeser Continue Their Race Up The Canucks’ Ranks
Elias Pettersson ended the 2025–26 season with only one more goal needed to tie former Canucks captain Bo Horvat for the ninth-most goals scored in franchise history. Currently sitting at 200 goals, Pettersson is only two goals away from passing Horvat’s current total of 201 goals as a member of the Canucks.
Depending on how the season goes, Pettersson could also hit the benchmark for the eighth-most goals scored in Canucks history. That spot currently belongs to Brock Boeser, who has 226 total tallies for the team. Boeser, however, has a couple of goal-scoring milestones of his own to reach, as he’s currently only 14 goals away from tying Henrik Sedin (240) for seventh in franchise history. Within range of that is also Tony Tanti, who currently sits at sixth in club records with 250 goals.
While Boeser is likely to slide into seventh during the 2026–27 season, Tanti’s record at sixth may be a little harder to achieve. Boeser would have to score 25 goals to pass Tanti — which isn’t outlandish given the forward’s goal-scoring averages on a full season-by-season basis — but given that the Canucks aren’t expected to stun offensively in the upcoming season, this may be a harder mark to reach.
200 Goals Await Jake DeBrusk In 2026–27
Only 11 goals stand in the way of Jake DeBrusk and the 200-career NHL goal mark, which he could realistically hit before the end of the calendar year. The winger hit the 100-goal mark back in 2022 as a member of the Boston Bruins, though the increase in his goal-scoring pace per season as of late has helped accelerate his steps towards the next milestone.
Mar 24, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk (74) and forward Elias Pettersson (40) and forward Brock Boeser (6) celebrate BoeserÕs goal against the Anaheim Ducks in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Three Defencemen And One Forward Could All Hit 50 Career-Goals In 2026–27
Four Canucks — three veteran defencemen and one depth forward — are all within striking distance of 50-career NHL goals.
The closest to the 50-goal milestone currently is Filip Hronek, who is sitting at 48 goals throughout his NHL career. He’s scored at least five goals in all but one of his eight seasons in the NHL, with the lone expectation being the shortened 2020–21 season.
The next player closest to scoring their 50th-career NHL goal is newcomer Paul Cotter, who is currently at 47 throughout his career. The depth forward scored nine goals in 79 games for the New Jersey Devils in 2025–26, but has previously tallied as many as 16 in a season (2024–25).
From there, Jamie Oleksiak and Luke Schenn are both tied with 45 career NHL goals. Oleksiak scored exactly five goals for the Seattle Kraken in 2025–26, though he’s only hit that mark four times total throughout his career. Schenn, who last scored five goals in a single season as a member of the Canucks in 2021–22, will likely see a larger role with Vancouver in 2026–27 compared to his more recent stints, making this milestone a little more achievable.
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CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Three of the five players acquitted of sexual assault in the high-profile 2018 Canada world junior case have had their international play suspensions get extended for at least another year, with only one set for immediate reinstatement.
Hockey Canada on Wednesday extended Michael McLeod’s ban from representing the country until Nov. 10, 2030, Dillon Dube through the same date in 2028 and Carter Hart through that date in 2027. Cal Foote’s suspension will end this November, while Alex Formenton has been reinstated.
The decisions were announced after an independent appeal board ruled that the players breached Hockey Canada’s code of conduct.
Last year, the NHL allowed the players to sign contracts beginning in October and to play in December. Hart signed with Vegas in the fall, returned to the NHL on Dec. 2 and backstopped the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup, while Dube in July became the second of the five players to sign an NHL contract when he joined St. Louis.
An appeals panel ruled that five players from Hockey Canada's 2018 world junior championships team breached the organization's code of conduct in a case that led to a sexual assault trial in which all were acquitted.
The panel continued suspensions for four of the five players, and announced the dates when they will again be eligible to represent Canada in international play.
Alex Formenton is eligible to return immediately. Here are the return dates for the other four players:
Cal Foote: suspended until Nov. 10, 2026
Carter Hart: suspended until Nov. 10, 2027
Dillon Dubé: suspended until Nov. 10, 2028
Michael McLeod: suspended until Nov. 10, 2030
Each player was charged in 2024 with one count of sexual assault stemming from an alleged incident that police said happened in a London, Ontario, hotel room while the team was in town in June 2018 for a Hockey Canada gala celebrating the team's gold medal. McLeod also was charged with being a party to the offense.
After their 2025 trial, Justice Maria Carroccia ruled she couldn't rely on the evidence of the female accuser and that prosecutors hadn't proved their case. She found all of the players not guilty.
As is customary, the Philadelphia Flyers find themselves connected to the latest offseason news, but rather than a trade target or a free agent, we're talking international suspension.
On Wednesday, Hockey Canada, via an independent appeal board, has made a decision regarding a breach of conduct for the five acquitted players involved in the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault case.
Forward Alex Formenton, who has been out of the NHL since 2022, has been reinstated by Hockey Canada effective immediately, but the other four players, including former Flyers goalie Carter Hart, will remain suspended.
According to the press release, Cal Foote will remain suspended until Nov. 10, Hart be suspended until Nov. 10, 2027, Dillon Dube will be suspended until Nov. 10, 2028, and Michael McLeod will be suspended until Nov. 10, 2030.
"The players had been formally suspended from Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs, pending the completion of the appeal process," the release said.
"As the independent investigation did not conclude that any other player on the 2018 National Junior Team breached Hockey Canada’s code of conduct, those players are eligible for consideration to participate in any Hockey Canada-sanctioned program, effective immediately.
However, any player under consideration to play on a national team will be subject to Hockey Canada’s enhanced screening process, which will continue to include a third-party review of the findings regarding the 2018 National Junior Team before being eligible to represent Canada internationally."
Hart, 27, is the only one of the five acquitted players to resume their NHL careers, having spent the last season with the Vegas Golden Knights after last playing for the Flyers in Jan. 2024.
In 18 regular season games, Hart went 13-3-3, eventually reuniting with his former Flyers head coach, John Tortorella, going on a fairytale run to the Stanley Cup Final before getting handily dealt with by the champion Carolina Hurricanes.
Despite a hot start, Hart ultimately finished his postseason run with a 14-8 record, a 2.56 GAA, and .909 save percentage, going ice-cold in the Final.
The Flyers' former second-round pick last represented Canada internationally at the 2019 IIHF Men's World Championships, where Canada lost to Finland in the final.
Hart was 3-0 for Canada in that tournament, and led all goalies who had played in at least three games with his .964 save percentage.
From a young age, Cole Knuble was taught about max effort.
As the son of Mike Knuble, a hard-working former Flyer who played over 1,000 NHL games, competing was a must growing up.
“He used to say, ‘If you have 12 eggs in your pockets, they should all be broken,'” Knuble said of his dad’s influence. “That’s what he would always tell me.
“You’re a hockey player, that’s just how it is — you battle. He preached that more than anything; it wasn’t about points, ever.”
Well, Knuble has heeded his father’s advice. He has competed and developed, putting himself in the Flyers’ pro picture. If he keeps it up, an NHL debut could be in his future.
“I thought he was one of our higher-end players and was not taking a backward step to anybody at that professional level,” Patrick Sharp, a special advisor to the Flyers’ hockey operations department, said in July. “That’s kind of impressive coming from college. We’ve got high expectations for him. The best part about Cole is he’s a great kid, comes from a great family, loves the game, he’s a good leader, he fits in well with his teammates. We can’t have enough of those guys around.”
This summer, the 22-year-old forward was one of the better players at Flyers development camp. He looked like a prospect with three years of seasoning at Notre Dame. Knuble moved well, saw the ice and was a constant threat to score.
“He’s a player, I can remember three years ago, right away, that had excellent hockey sense,” Sharp said. “He has certainly rounded out his game over the years and looks like he has improved every time we get eyes on him.”
When Knuble was drafted, his skating was a knock. He even went undrafted the year before because of it.
“I think you can really see his maturity from when he first got here,” Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said in July. “We talked in the past about his skating, his skating is why he went through the draft. He was always a good player, but I don’t see his skating as an issue at all anymore. It’s actually a strength.”
Cole Knuble with some patience and vision here to set up Alex Bump.
If Knuble can prove to be effective at center, his odds with the Flyers would only increase. He can play on the wing and down the middle. Center is a premium position and the Flyers have needed more talent there.
“You have that versatility, you just give yourself a better chance,” Knuble said. “I played center in college for probably most of it.”
The Phantoms gave Knuble some looks at center. We’ll see if he can stick there this season as he enters his first full year with Lehigh Valley.
“That was definitely an adjustment, especially faceoffs,” Knuble said. “I was playing wing at the end of my season in college, so I was kind of thrown into a new league and a different position. But I’ve always been a guy that can play both and I want to have that in my toolbox.”
The Edmonton Oilers have added to an already crowded crease situation in Bakersfield, signing goaltender Eemil Vinni to a one-year, two-way American Hockey League contract for the 2026-27 season.
The @Condors have signed goaltender Eemil Vinni to a one-year, two-way American Hockey League contract for the 2026-27 season. https://t.co/7UHGvkIIIK
Vinni was selected 64th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 NHL Draft after being ranked the top European goalie by NHL Central Scouting. The 6-foot-3 netminder missed much of 2024-25 with an injury but returned last season, splitting time between JoKP and Ketterä in Finland’s Mestis league. He posted an 8-5-4 record with a .884 save percentage for JoKP before being loaned to Ketterä, where he excelled with a .951 save percentage and 1.23 GAA in four regular-season games. He also went 4-2 with a .943 save percentage and 1.52 GAA in six playoff appearances.
The question now becomes, what happens with the rest of the netminders in Bakersfield?
The Oilers already have Matt Tomkins, Connor Ungar, Samuel Jonsson, Nathaniel Day in their system. Tomkins and Ungar were likely the next in line to get an NHL shot.
Like they intend to do at the NHL level this season, the Oilers farm team must be planning on three goalies. Alternatively, the organization might be thinking about including one of the goalies in a future trade.
As the National Hockey League enters the second month of free agency, a number of former Buffalo Sabres still remain unsigned. At this point of the offseason, players who have not latched on with an NHL club might consider playing in Europe, or taking a short-term deal or professional tryout to earn a one-year deal.
It appeared at the beginning of last season that Reimer’s long career had come to an end. He was brought in late in the preseason by the Toronto Maple Leafs, the club that drafted him in 2006, as a possible stop-gap backup to Anthony Stolarz with Joseph Woll on a leave of absence from the club. That possibility lasted one period in the exhibition finale against Detroit, after which he was let go.
Who had the best and worst offseason in the Atlantic Division?
The 38-year-old has played for eight NHL clubs (Toronto, San Jose twice, Florida, Detroit, Carolina, Anaheim, Ottawa, and Buffalo). He was signed by the Sabres in 2024 as a third goalie behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi, but when the Sabres tried to sneak him down to the AHL, he was claimed by the Ducks to fill in while John Gibson was injured.
Buffalo reclaimed Reimer when Gibson returned and sent Levi to Rochester. He was dependable as a backup to UPL, playing 22 games for the Sabres, most of his work at the end of the season when Lindy Ruff was not pleased with Luukkonen’s consistency. Last season, he was signed by the Sens in January to backup Linus Ullmark with youngster Leevi Merilainen struggling.
The Sens went 7-4-2 in his 13 starts, which helped Ottawa get into the playoffs.
Outlook: Reimer has not announced his retirement, and like last season, he may be waiting until training camps open to get signed to a PTO in hopes of latching on for one more campaign. There are enough clubs out there looking for an adequate #2 or #3 between the pipes, so there is a chance that we could see Reimer again.
A former Pittsburgh Penguins prospect is heading to the KHL.
The Shanghai Dragons have signed former Penguins prospect defenseman Calen Addison to a one-year contract.
Addison was selected by the Penguins in the second round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, 53rd overall. He was once considered one of the Penguins' top prospects, but he never ended up playing a game for Pittsburgh. This is because the Penguins traded Addison to the Minnesota Wild in February 2020 as part of the the trade that brought forward Jason Zucker to Pittsburgh.
Addison played in three games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2018-19, however, where he posted two assists.
After being traded by the Penguins, Addison played four NHL seasons from 2020-21 to 2023-24. In 152 career NHL games over that span, he posted six goals, 44 assists, 50 points, and 96 penalty minutes. His best season in the NHL was in 2022-23, as he set career highs with three goals, 26 assists, and 29 points in 62 games.
Before signing this new deal with Shanghai, Addison spent each of the last two seasons exclusively at the AHL level. In 65 games last season with the Utica Comets, he recorded six goals and 31 points.
The Coachella Firebirds, the American Hockey League (AHL) Seattle Kraken affiliate, announced on July 29th that the team had signed defenseman Gustav Olofsson.
Olofsson appeared in 48 games last season for the Firebirds, recording four goals and 28 assists.
The defenseman was drafted 46th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild. he has appeared in 63 NHL Games with three teams: the Minnesota Wild, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Seattle Kraken.
Firebirds General Manager Troy Bodie spoke about the signing.
“Gustav has been a part of this organization since day one, and that says a lot about the person and player he is,” said Bodie. “His leadership, professionalism, and consistency have helped establish the culture we’ve built in Coachella Valley. Gustav brings valuable NHL experience and continues to set an outstanding example for our younger players. We’re excited to have him back for another season.”
Olofsson joined the Firebirds in the 2022-23 season and is entering his fifth season with the team. He has appeared in 414 AHL regular-season games and 69 Calder Cup Playoff games.
The Firebirds signed Olofsson to a one-year AHL contract. The 2026-27 season will kick off on October 2.
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Montreal Canadiens’ defenseman Jayden Struble now has four years of professional hockey under his belt, but he has yet to establish himself as a full-time NHLer. For the last three seasons, he’s been in a duel with teammate Arber Xhekaj for the sixth defenseman role. Thanks to the injury bug, though, they’ve both seen a fair bit of action. Last year, Struble skated in 59 games with an average of 14:01 of ice time, while Xhekaj saw action in 65 games but only averaged 11:25 of ice time. However, in the playoffs, Struble played in 12 games and averaged 11:40 of ice time, while Xhekaj played in 13 games but averaged only 8:06.
What the last playoffs made very evident is that coach Martin St-Louis doesn’t trust the rugged Xhekaj to play a complete and reliable game. The bench boss is not keen on players taking themselves out of the play to land a big hit, and while Xhekaj has all but eradicated that from his game, it seems like St-Louis believes that a leopard doesn’t change its spots. Now is the time for Struble to step in and claim that 6th defenseman, whether Xhekaj is still with the Canadiens or not.
The duel is about to become a three-way battle at best since Adam Engstrom appears all but ready to make the jump to the NHL and the team seems keen on giving David Reinbacher a shot at making the team out of training camp. Struble is entering the final year of his contract, which carries a $1, 412,500 cap hit, and he finds himself in an “It’s now or never” situation.
Thankfully for him, he forms a good tandem with Lane Hutson when he’s called upon to play with the young star, and that might just be what gave him the edge over Xhekaj in the playoffs. Before talking about season expectations for Struble, we should really be talking about training camp expectations, because that’s where he’ll put his NHL job on the line.
If Xhekaj remains a Canadiens player and signs a new contract, Struble will have to beat him, Engstrom and Reinbacher at training camp to earn a spot in the lineup. A strong start is always a good way to catch the coach’s eye, and the Northeastern University alumni should be riding high after earning St-Louis’ trust in the playoffs. Struble needs to make a statement that he deserves the sixth spot on the blueline and that it’s not time to move on from him to give Engstrom or Reinbacher NHL minutes.
He’s never been a big point producer, and that’s not about to change; what he needs to do is play a smart game, one that is based on solid decision-making and a heavy physical game without going overboard. You can fully expect Struble to come out strong because one way or another, he’ll be playing to earn a new contract with the Habs, and he needs to fend off the competition. At the end of the season, he’ll be an RFA with arbitration rights if he convinces Kent Hughes to give him a qualifying offer. That shouldn’t be too hard, since the GM is not one to lose assets without getting anything in return. Sooner or later, though, the Canadiens will have to do something about the logjam on their blueline; as things stand, Struble is not the one who’s rumored to be on the move, but rumors tend to be just that and don’t always come to fruition.
The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. These players are all 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 82 NHL games.
Who had the best and worst offseason in the Atlantic Division?
27. Stiven Sardarian – Right Wing (Michigan Tech – NCAA)
The Sabres selected Sardarian in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft with the pick obtained from the Florida Panthers for Brandon Montour. The St. Petersburg native played his youth hockey in the Moscow Dynamo system but chose to come to North America in 2021 and play in the NCAA. After a season with Youngstown in the USHL.
Sardarian has built himself up from 157 lbs at the start of his NCAA career to 180 lbs, which may be part of the reason for why he broke out offensively in his junior season. As a freshman at UNH, he had only seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) in 29 games. His sophomore campaign showed some progress, as he doubled his offensive totals to 14 points and scored seven times in 32 games, but he availed himself of the NCAA’s transfer portal and moved on to Michigan Tech.
The 23-year-old has led MT in scoring the last two seasons, with 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists) in 35 games as a junior and 44 points (12 goals, 32 assists) in 37 games as a senior.The Sabres have not signed Sardarian to an entry-level contract and he will become an unrestricted free agent on Saturday if they do not.
It is possible that the new administration under Jarmo Kekalainen does not see any pro upside in him, but with the club’s AHL roster seeing a mass exodus either by trade or likely promotion to the Sabres, that they would not extend at least a short-term ELC to Sardarian.
The Minnesota Wild have spent years searching for more high-end offensive talent around Kirill Kaprizov.
They may no longer have to search very far.
Kaprizov and Matt Boldy were both ranked among the six best wings in hockey by NHL Network, giving Minnesota one of the most highly regarded star duos in the league entering the 2026-27 season.
No other NHL team placed two players inside the top six.
The only two wings ranked ahead of Kaprizov were Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov at No. 1 and Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak at No. 2.
Kaprizov finished ahead of some massive names, including Mitch Marner, Mikko Rantanen, Matthew Tkachuk, Artemi Panarin and Kyle Connor.
Boldy's placement might be even more noteworthy.
The 25-year-old finished ahead of Jason Robertson, Matthew Tkachuk, Cole Caufield, William Nylander, Connor, Panarin, Sam Reinhart and several other established NHL stars.
NHL Network analyst Mike Rupp had especially high praise for Boldy during the countdown.
“He is an absolute star, can score some goals, and that clutch ability, that clutch gene that he has, is immeasurable,” Rupp said.
Boldy's rise has changed the outlook of Minnesota's offense.
For years, Kaprizov was unquestionably the centerpiece of the Wild's attack. While that hasn't necessarily changed, Boldy has developed into another legitimate game-breaking winger alongside him.
And NHL Network apparently believes the gap between Minnesota's two stars isn't very large.
Kaprizov and Boldy were separated by just three spots in the rankings.
The Wild were also one of only three organizations with multiple players inside the top seven. Dallas had Rantanen at No. 5 and Robertson at No. 7, while Minnesota had Kaprizov and Boldy even higher at Nos. 3 and 6.
That gives Minnesota something few teams can match: two wingers, NHL Network believes, are among the very best players at their position.
The complete top 10 consisted of Kucherov, Pastrnak, Kaprizov, Marner, Rantanen, Boldy, Robertson, Matthew Tkachuk, Caufield and Nylander.
NHL Network said its rankings were based on performance over the past several seasons, with additional emphasis placed on the 2025-26 regular season and 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, while also factoring in future upside.
That last part is particularly interesting for Boldy.
Kaprizov is already firmly established among the NHL's elite. Boldy, meanwhile, is entering what should be the prime years of his career and is now being ranked alongside some of the biggest stars in hockey.
Minnesota doesn't just have one of the NHL's best wings anymore. According to NHL Network, it has two of the six best.
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At first glance, the Senators don't look dramatically different from the team we watched last season.
Yes, the captain abandoned ship, but you still have a ton of the usual suspects. The core guys like Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, Dylan Cozens, Drake Batherson, Shane Pinto, Linus Ullmark and others are all still here.
But dig a little deeper, and there's actually been quite a bit of turnover in the past year.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss where Jake Sanderson fell on the list of top NHL defensemen.
In fact, 12 players who appeared in at least one game for the Senators last season are now somewhere else.
#7 Brady Tkachuk – 60 games
As news goes, this one is bigger than all the other 11 exits put together.
After eight seasons in Ottawa, Tkachuk requested a trade and was dealt to the Florida Panthers in June. The former captain leaves the biggest hole of anyone on this list, but many fans think it may be a case of addition by subtraction. Even some teammates aren't convinced his exit will be a major loss at all for this group,
Time will tell.
#89 Lars Eller – 68 games
Tkachuk isn't the only former Senator headed to Florida. Eller played 68 games for Ottawa last season after signing a one-year deal last summer.
He provided veteran depth down the middle but was always going to be a short-term solution. He was solid, but the Senators were ready to try someone else, and that's probably Stephen Halliday.
#3 Nick Jensen – 61 games
Jensen became an important part of the Sens' defence after arriving in the Jakob Chychrun trade in 2024.
He played 61 games last season before another injury ended his year and has since signed a two-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks. It will be interesting to see if Jensen can get back to where he was before he began to break down in 2024-25.
The Sens will now lean more heavily on Artem Zub and Jordan Spence while Nikolas Matinpalo and Carter Yakemchuk battle for the third spot on the right side.
#57 David Perron – 49 games
Perron's two-year stay in Ottawa actually ended before the season did.
The Senators traded the veteran winger to Detroit at the deadline after he appeared in 49 games. It closed the book on a somewhat disappointing free-agent signing, although Perron did provide some useful experience during Ottawa's return to the playoffs.
As the Sens tried to rally from a 0-3 series deficit in their 2025 first round against Toronto, Perron's game-tying goal in the third period of Game 6 will always be a highlight.
Perron remains a UFA, and at 38, he might still be a PTO option for someone.
#47 James Reimer – 14 games
Reimer wasn't even a Senator when last season began. He signed in January after Linus Ullmark took a long leave of absence and goaltending became a concern. A grave concern. Reimer provided some stability, appearing in 14 games.
But with Samuel Ersson brought in this summer, Reimer has moved on and, at 38, he remains a free agent. After historically giving the Sens fits over the years, it was nice for a change that they could benefit from his play.
#6 Dennis Gilbert – 8 games
Gilbert's second go-around with the Senators wasn't much longer than the first. He played in 8 games and then three more in the playoffs after spending much of the year in Belleville. He provided some depth when injuries began piling up on Ottawa's blue line.
He's now back in Buffalo, where the Sens first acquired him, along with Dylan Cozens, in 2025.
#60 Lassi Thomson – 11 games
Thomson's second tour with the Senators organization is over.
The former 19th overall pick returned to Ottawa last season and eventually got into 11 NHL games, recording three assists. He also suited up for one playoff game.
He's since returned to Europe (again), likely closing the book on his time with the organization that drafted him in 2019. Thomson was, by far, the best asset to come from the trading of Matt Duchene to Columbus, which speaks loudly about the quality of that deal.
#15 Olle Lycksell – 7 games
Lycksell actually made Ottawa's opening-night roster after signing as a free agent last summer, but his stay in the NHL didn't last long.
He appeared in seven games for the Senators and spent most of the season in Belleville. He was a depth player who signed in Switzerland for the coming season.
#34 Arthur Kaliyev – 2 games
Kaliyev was an intriguing low-risk signing last summer because of his shot, his goal-scoring ability, and his OHL days when he played for Steve Staios. Nothing really came of the signing, though Belleville fans would disagree. Kaliyev led the B-Sens and the AHL with 40 goals last season.
He appeared in two games for Ottawa in October but never made it back to the NHL club. Kaliyev finished the season as a dominant scorer in Belleville. Despite leading the AHL with 40 goals, he remains a UFA.
#37 Donovan Sebrango – 2 games
Sebrango got another brief taste of the NHL last season, appearing twice for the Senators.
The Ottawa-area product had been part of the organization since coming over from Detroit in the Alex DeBrincat trade in 2023, but he was claimed off waivers by the Panthers in October after the Sens tried to send him down to Belleville.
Sebrango went on to have his best year yet, playing 40 games for Florida and signing a one-way deal with them last month.
#40 Mads Søgaard – 2 games
There was a time when Søgaard was considered a legit candidate to become the Sens' goalie of the future.
That never happened.
Sogaard appeared in just two games for Ottawa last season and has since signed with Tampa Bay. The last 6-foot-7 Sens goalie who left for Tampa was Ben Bishop. If Sogaard can only be half as good, the Lightning will be thrilled.
#31 Hunter Shepard – 1 game
Shepard's Senators career lasted exactly one NHL appearance.
Ottawa signed him as organizational goaltending depth last summer and eventually traded him to Montreal in March in a minor league swap. Shepard will give the KHL a go this season.
Obviously, no two exits carry the same impact on the Sens roster. At the top, it's Tkachuk, while a few of these departures won't move the needle at all.
But it does illustrate just how quickly an NHL roster turns over. 12 players who pulled on a Senators sweater at some point last season have already moved on.
So while the names at the top of the lineup remain highly recognizable, there's actually been quite a bit of change under the hood.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the Sens headlines below:
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 27: Domenick Fensore #89 of the Carolina Hurricanes takes the ice prior to the first period of their game against the Florida Panthers. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by Mile High Hockey staff members. Seven writers have ranked players under the age of 25 in the Colorado Avalanche organization as of September 1, 2026. Now, we’ll count down each of the 25 players ranked.
Coming in as one of the new Colorado Avalanche signings of this summer’s free agency class is left shot defenseman Domenick Fensore. Originally drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round of the 2019 NHL draft, the 24-year-old defenseman is coming off a solid AHL campaign with the Chicago Wolves. In his third season with Chicago, Fensore posted career highs in goals (10), assists (25) and points (35) in 60 regular season games.
Fensore was a fixture on the Chicago blue line during the Wolves’ playoff run. In 18 playoff games, he recorded four goals and two assists. One of his goals came as a shorthanded tally during Game Three of the Western Conference Final against the Colorado Eagles, where Fensore will likely spend the upcoming season. Fensore’s regular season numbers would have placed him second in goal scoring among Eagles defensemen, just one shy of the now-departed Jack Ahcan, who had eleven (11) goals in 61 regular season games. Fensore should fit right into the role of offensive defenseman with the Eagles.
Fensore’s prospects of breaking into the Avs lineup are pretty slim, provided that the blue line doesn’t get rocked by a rash of multiple injuries at the same time. That said, the 5’8” Ahcan was (somehow) an appealing option to Avs head coach Jared Bednar at various points in the regular season and playoffs, and if a rash of injuries strike at the likes of Sam Malinski, Josh Manson, or Cale Makar, perhaps the 5’9” Fensore may see some limited NHL usage. He does have three games of NHL experience, all with the Carolina Hurricanes, in which he produced zero points.
Fensore’s AHL playoff experience may prove beneficial for the Eagles this season. Colorado had Chicago on the ropes in their Western Conference Final series, but ultimately fell short in their bid for their first-ever Calder Cup Final appearance, losing in a winner-take-all Game Seven. Will Fensore be a difference-maker for the Eagles this season? Tough to say at this point, but it could be a compelling reason to keep an eye on how things play out in Loveland as the season progresses.
Most of us here on staff ranked Fensore in the mid-to-low teens in our rankings, with Ryan being the most skeptical of us at 28. The 24-year-old will be serviceable on the blue line in Loveland, but being tasked to serve in an NHL-level capacity may be beyond his capabilities.
Let us know what you think of this prospect in the comments!
