The ice hockey world mourned the death of Ken Dryden, Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender. Dryden not only won six Stanley Cups, but he was also on the call for the Miracle on Ice.

He passed away at age 78 after battling cancer. As one of the top goaltenders in NHL history, the hockey world paid tribute to the legend. One man in particular who shared a message was Devils legend Martin Brodeur.

In a post shared on multiple social media platforms, Brodeur wrote:

“I always looked up to Ken Dryden. He revolutionized the position & rose to the occasion in big moments. Beyond his greatness on the ice, he was a remarkable person, and the hockey community will miss him dearly. My condolences to the Dryden family. Photo by my dad, Denis Brodeur.”

I always looked up to Ken Dryden. He revolutionized the position & rose to the occasion in big moments. Beyond his greatness on the ice, he was a remarkable person, and the hockey community will miss him dearly. My condolences to the Dryden family. Photo by my dad, Denis Brodeur pic.twitter.com/vmgANLIa9O

— Martin Brodeur (@MartinBrodeur) September 6, 2025

Brodeur made history for the Devils and the NHL as one of the greatest goaltenders of all time. He won three Stanley Cups with the Devils, claimed the Vezina Trophy four times, and remains the all-time wins leader for goaltenders with 691 victories.

His message to Dryden shows just how profound Dryden’s impact was on the hockey world.

Other notable figures also released messages expressing their condolences. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on social media:

“Few Canadians have given more, or stood taller, for our country. Ken Dryden was Big Canada. And he was Best Canada. Rest in peace.”

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also shared a statement:

“From the moment Ken Dryden joined the Montreal Canadiens as a 23-year-old rookie in 1971, he made an immediate and lasting impact on the NHL, the Canadiens franchise, and the goaltending position. Ken’s love for his country was evident both on and off the ice.”

Not only did Dryden have an impact on the ice and in the broadcast booth, but he also stepped away from hockey in 1973 to work at a Toronto law firm, giving back to his community.

He played just eight seasons in the NHL before pursuing a different career path. In 397 starts, he earned 258 wins, ranking 63rd all time.

While Brodeur leads the list of all-time wins, the impact that Dryden had on his career — and on the hockey community as a whole - cannot be ignored as the sport mourns a legend.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have Sidney Crosby locked up for the next two seasons, but that hasn't stopped some of the national media from discussing him leaving the franchise. 

He has shown no interest in even thinking about leaving the Penguins. However, Pat Brisson, Crosby's agent, was asked about some of those rumors by The Athletic's Pierre Lebrun on Wednesday and didn't exactly squash them. 

“I mean, I’m answering something that, let’s put it this way, it’s always a possibility, you know?” Brisson told Lebrun in an interview. 

Brisson added that he believes Crosby should be playing playoff hockey every year. Crosby hasn't been in the playoffs since the 2021-22 season, when the Penguins lost to the New York Rangers in the first round. The Penguins had a 3-1 series lead on the Rangers before losing in seven games.

Since then, the Penguins have missed the playoffs in three-straight seasons and are in the middle of a rebuild. General manager Kyle Dubas is trying to return the Penguins to contention as urgently as possible, but it's going to take some time. 

Despite Brisson's comments, Crosby will play his 21st NHL season with the Penguins when the 2025-26 season starts in October. The Penguins will open the year against the Rangers October 7 inside Madison Square Garden.

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Heading into his first full season with the Kings, Kuzmenko looks to continue where he left off with the Kings.

Andrei Kuzmenko had a very interesting 2024-25 NHL season. He started with the Calgary Flames, where he played 32 games in which he registered 4 goals and 11 assists for 15 points. He was then traded to the Philadelphia Flyers alongside Jakob Pelletier.

Kuzmenko played only 7 games for the Flyers, registering 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points. Then, on the trade deadline, the Flyers would trade Kuzmenko to the Kings in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick. Kuzmenko achieved moderate success with the Kings, scoring 5 goals and registering 12 assists in 22 games, totalling 17 points. He also performed well in the playoffs, contributing 3 goals and 3 assists in 6 games. 

After the Oilers eliminated the Kings in 6 games, Kuzmenko would sign a 1-year $4.3 million contract with the Kings during the offseason. 

2025-26 Expectations and Predictions

Kuzmenko will look to try to replicate his first year in the NHL, where he was 1 goal shy of the 40-goal mark for the Canucks. According to PuckPedia, Kuzmenko is on the first line alongside Kopitar and Kempe, so he will have the opportunity to have a positive impact on the Kings. Playing alongside Kempe and Kopitar is one of the best things for Kuzmenko because Kempe leads the team in points. Kopitar led the team in assists, making this a very good opportunity for Kuzmenko to showcase his scoring and offensive playmaking abilities, and to prove why he should stay with the Kings after his contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season. 

My prediction for Kuzmenko is that we will see flashes of his first-year performance with the Canucks, but I do not expect him to reach that point total this year. Playing alongside some of the best offensive Kings players, I wouldn't be shocked if Kuzmenko had a 30 to 40 point total at the end of the season. Ever since his first season in the NHL, it has been a slow decline, and both he and the Kings are hoping he can produce like he did in his first year. Kuzmenko has to prove why he deserves to stay with the Kings, but with him playing on the top line and getting power-play minutes, he will be able to make a good case for the Kings to keep him. 

You can say many things about NHL icon Sidney Crosby.

For instance, he’s not a rah-rah, heart-on-his-sleeve dramatic leader like, say, Mark Messier was. Crosby is his own terrific hockey ambassador in his own way, but he’s a hockey fan who knows his legacy in the sport. And Crosby can see the optics at play with where he’s at in his career right now, and where his Pittsburgh Penguins are at.

When asked by The Athletic if it were possible that Crosby would consider a trade away from his beloved Penguins organization, Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, did not flat-out reject all trade possibilities involving No. 87.

“I mean, I’m answering something that…let’s put it this way, it’s always a possibility, you know?” Brisson said. “It’s been three years (the Penguins) haven’t made the playoffs. It all depends on how (Crosby) is going to be and how the team is going to do. I maintain the same position that I do believe that he should be playing playoff hockey every year. In my opinion.”

Now, Brisson is allowed to have feelings about the situation that may not be 100 percent in line with Crosby’s feelings. But Crosby understands he’s still got a say in how the rest of his NHL days play out.

If he were quicker and more rash to act, Crosby would be an ex-Penguin by now. But it’s a measurement of his love for the Penguins that he’s still trying to see what can be salvaged in Pittsburgh before he and the team even remotely consider going down two different roads.

“I understand it,” Crosby said at the NHL/NHLPA Player media tour in Vegas. “You’d rather be talking about who we’re getting at the (trade) deadline or where we’re at as far as are we one-two-three in the division. That’s the hard part about losing.

“Everybody thinks the buzzer goes, you lose the game and that sucks, but there’s so much more. It’s the turnover, the uncertainty, the question marks. That’s tough. It makes you appreciate all those years we were competing and going after that big acquisition every trade deadline. I didn’t take it for granted, but I definitely appreciate it that much more now.

“But it hasn’t changed my approach. I still go out there trying to win every single game and be the best I can be. That youth and having that energy around you isn’t a bad thing, either. We have a lot of hungry guys and a lot of competition for spots so you find different things to feed off and continue to learn from.”

Crosby’s favorite team as a young hockey fan was the Montreal Canadiens. So you can see that the possibility of Crosby being traded to the Canadiens makes many Habs fans all but drool in anticipation. And Crosby didn’t shy away from acknowledging the mania that undoubtedly would follow Crosby pulling on a Habs jersey.

“Trust me, I get it,” Crosby said. “Growing up a Montreal fan, I understand how passionate they are. My first or second year in the league, I was in Montreal for a CCM thing in June and they were already projecting the lines for training camp in September. I was like, ‘This is wild’. They’re so into it and I get it as to why that would come up. It doesn’t make it any easier to hear those things when you’re losing, but knowing a team like that wants you isn’t the end of the world.”

Despite Crosby’s delicate handling of the current situation in Pittsburgh, it’s readily apparent that he isn’t yet ready to move on from this Penguins organization.

Who knows – once Crosby does retire, maybe there’s a universe in which he’s in a key management role and keeps his connection to the game fully intact. He wouldn’t be the first superstar to take a run at being a GM or president of hockey operations, and he won’t be the last.

Still, Crosby just turned 38 years old. As a player, he’s got more miles behind him than ahead of him. But taking one more run with Pittsburgh – and one Olympic run with Team Canada – sounds like the immediate road ahead for him. No one can question his loyalty, nor his ability. We’re watching one of the final chapters of Crosby’s Hockey Hall of Fame play out in real time, and only time will tell if Crosby finishes his NHL days in the only professional jersey he has ever worn.

“We want Sidney to hopefully be in the playoffs every year,” Brisson said of Crosby. “We want him to hopefully win another Cup or two. So, each year the team that he’s playing for fails to make the playoffs, it creates a lot of speculation.

“In reality, he’s not getting any younger. We’re here to support him. It’s the beginning of the season here. Let’s see how things are going. Hopefully they have a great season, and the speculation will go away.”

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The Philadelphia Flyers will welcome two fresh faces to the fold when they kick off rookie camp later this week.

On Monday, the Flyers announced their roster for their 2026 rookie camp and rookie series against the rival New York Rangers, headlined by former first-round picks Jett Luchanko, Jack Nesbitt, and Oliver Bonk.

But, they did include two newcomers. One of whom has been on the Flyers' roster on the NHL Media site for quite some time.

Defenseman Andre Mondoux and goalie Joey Costanzo are the Flyers' two rookie camp invites this week, and the former has been in the team's system on the NHL Media site since at least July 6.

Mondoux, 18, was also present at Flyers development camp that week.

The 6-foot-4 defenseman spent most of last season with the Pickering Panthers of the OJHL, scoring six goals, seven assists, and 13 points in 49 games.

Mondoux also played an odd eight games with the OHL Kingston Frontenacs, with whom he figures to play again next season.

KHL Forward Supports Flyers' Aleksei KolosovAhead of what will be his first full training camp with the Philadelphia Flyers, top goalie prospect Aleksei Kolosov continues to draw support from his peers from all over the globe.

With some growth and consistent OHL game time, it's plausible Mondoux can become a candidate to be a late-round draft pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

As for Costanzo, the 20-year-old goalie is now too old for OHL competition and will have to move on to his pro career in short order.

Notably, Costanzo was 26-6-0 with the Windsor Spitfires in the 2022-23 season, though his 3.03 GAA and .901 save percentage were only average.

This past season, the 6-foot-1 netminder was 34-10-4 with Windsor with a 2.92 GAA and .892 save percentage, and he enjoyed a strong 7-3-2 run in the playoffs to the tune of a 2.29 GAA and .911 save percentage.

With the Spitfires, Costanzo was teammates with Nesbitt, the Flyers' second first-round pick this year, for the last two seasons, so the Flyers must have saw enough from him to warrant a camp invite.

Costanzo, Mondoux, and the Flyers rookies will take the ice to start rookie camp on Thursday, Sept. 11, at 10 a.m. at the Flyers Training Center.

The Ottawa Senators enter the coming NHL season firmly focused on improving their results in the 2024-25 campaign.

While the Sens made a couple of additions, they’re only going to go as far as their core of young talent carries them.

The good news in that regard is that Ottawa’s players are firmly capable of taking that next step instead of falling back out of the playoffs for the eighth time in nine years – and they’re not looking for any outside help as they aim to elevate their game.

“I think the next step is in our room,” Senators star center Tim Stutzle said during Monday’s Senators' Charity Open. “I’ve said many times I believe in this group, I believe in this core and the next step is in our room.

“I think (Senators GM) Steve (Staios) has done a phenomenal job to kind of support our group, and we’ve just got to take the next step. The young guys got to take the next step, and as a group, we’ve got to take the next step as well. Last year, we showed that if we play the way we want to play, we’re a really good team.”

That said, Senators players know the stakes for them are higher.

Missing the playoffs would be an utter disaster, and some tough conversations would have to be had about the future of the core if that happens.

But last year started a new chapter under coach Travis Green, who helped the team mature and play more disciplined hockey. The signs don't suggest they'll regress this season.

After being a top-10 team in misconduct penalties from 2021-22 to 2023-24, and a top-10 squad in penalty minutes from 2019-20 to ’23-24, the Sens took just three misconducts in 2024-25, and their 696 penalty minutes were 13th in the league. Even considering they had the fourth-most hits in the league last year, they ranked first in penalties drawn and second in net penalties, showing they can be physical while playing the right way.

Ottawa also finished last season with its best power-play percentage in franchise history, and they were tied for the most wins in the league when they scored first, with 35.

Last season was a step forward overall. Now that the players have adjusted to Green's system, there are new expectations to take their playoff-quality play to another level.

Their franchise-high power-play percentage only ranked 11th in the NHL last year, and their penalty kill ranked 19th. Their November record was a lousy 5-8-1, so the team is still searching for a points percentage of more than .500 in November for the first time since 2016. And when they trailed after the first period, their record was 4-19-4.

Fortunately for them, the Senators showed strong play more often than not last season, and doing that again will make them a lock for the playoffs this year. Being a notch more consistent can make them an even greater force.

Why The Ottawa Senators Are Ready To Contend In 2025-26In the last few years of Pierre Dorion's tenure as Ottawa Senators GM, fans and media would wonder during the summer if this was the year the long rebuild would finally be over. If not last year, was this the year? Is it over now?

To achieve that goal, Staios did make some tactical roster changes – acquiring former Los Angeles Kings blueliner Jordan Spence to be an upgrade on Ottawa’s right side of its ‘D’ – and put together a team that can do some real damage this season.

For his part, Spence knows his profile is about to get a significant boost from Los Angeles to Canada’s capital city. While that might be a stifling pressure for some players, Spence is choosing to embrace the change.

“Obviously, coming back to the Canadian market, I think there’s more eyes on you,” Spence said. “There’s pros and cons to that, but at the end of the day, I’m really excited to be here and get going.”

It would be a particular delight if the Senators not only get back into the playoffs but follow it up by winning a round or two and eliminating the Maple Leafs in retribution for Toronto's 4-2 first-round series win last spring. At least one Sens star had faith – has faith – that the answer for that is still in the Sens’ dressing room.

“I still believe we had a chance to win that (first-round) series,” Stutzle said. “Now it’s just about us and what we can do in this room. I think that’s going to be really important, that we keep believing in this room and have a good start.”

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Former Carolina Hurricanes forward Evgeny Kuznetsov may be ready to sign with an NHL team sooner rather than later.

Kuznetsov’s agent Shumi Babaev told Sports Daily’s Mikhail Nyukhin that his client has now identified two NHL teams that he’ll sign with. 

Babaev did not specify which teams Kuznetsov would be interested in signing with. 

In March of 2024, the Hurricanes traded for Kuznetsov from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. 

He played in 20 games for the Hurricanes and recorded two goals, five assists, and seven points while averaging 14:54 minutes. 

After the 2023-24 campaign, Kuznetsov signed a four-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL.

Now, the 33-year-old forward is looking to make a return to the NHL with training camp just around the corner.

One of the New York Rangers' top objectives of the off-season was to add a steady defensive defenseman for the left side of their top pairing. In the end, it is fair to say that they did just that, as they signed top unrestricted free agent (UFA) blueliner Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year, $49 million contract.

With this Gavrikov signing, the Rangers have certainly improved their blueline, and they have now gotten some praise because of it.

In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Adam Gretz ranked the Rangers signing Gavrikov as the fourth-best move made in the entire NHL this off-season.

The only moves that Gretz argued were better than the Rangers bringing in Gavrikov were the Carolina Hurricanes signing Nikolaj Ehlers, the Vegas Golden Knights acquiring and then signing Mitch Marner, and the Montreal Canadiens acquiring Noah Dobson. 

Given how solid of a defenseman Gavrikov is, it makes sense that Gretz sees the Rangers signing him as one of the top NHL moves of the summer. The 29-year-old's strong defensive play and ability to produce decent offense from the point could make him a real home run of an addition for the Blueshirts. 

In 82 games this past season with the Los Angeles Kings, Gavrikov recorded five goals, 25 assists, 30 points, 140 blocks, and a plus-26 rating. 

Recent Rangers News 

Rangers Have Interesting PTO Target To Consider 

Rangers Should Give Soaring Forward Big Opportunity 

Rangers: Big Year Ahead For Artemi Panarin 

The Buffalo Sabres unveiled the roster for the 2025 Prospects Challenge at LECOM HarborCenter later this week. The Sabres are slated to play three times during the five-day event, against the New Jersey Devils prospects at 7 pm on Friday, the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7 pm on Saturday, and the Pittsburgh Penguins next Monday at Noon.  

The roster of 26 players consists of 14 forwards, eight defensemen, and four goaltenders, and includes 21 Buffalo draftees, including first-rounders Isak Rosen, Noah Ostlund, Konsta Helenius, and 2025 top pick Radim Mrtka.  Rosen and Ostlund are the only players on the roster who saw NHL time last season.

Other Sabres Stories

Projecting Sabres Trade Cost - Lawson Crouse 

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

10 players (forwards Riley Fiddler-Schultz, Helenius, Tyler Kopff, Olivier Nadeau, Viktor Neuchev, Ostlund, Rosen, and Anton Wahlberg, defensemen Vesvolod Komarov, and Nikita Novikov)  were on the Rochester Americans roster last season. Forwards Matteo Costantini and Redmond Savage are signed to AHL deals, and 18-year-old undrafted blueliner Luka Dragusica is the only free agent invitee.   

The Buffalo Sabres have announced their 2025 Prospects Challenge roster. pic.twitter.com/izsCOzG4ix

— Buffalo Sabres PR (@SabresPR) September 9, 2025

The weekend games will be the fans first opportunity to see Mrtka (selected ninth overall at the 2025 Draft last June) in action. Many of the players participating this weekend saw extended action during the exhibition schedule last September, as the Sabres' NHL roster headed to Europe to open the season in the NHL Global Series. With Sabres regulars needing taking up spots during the six preseason games, the opportunity to make an impression will not be as great.  

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

The boys are back in town as the Nashville Predators announce their training camp roster, which is set to start on Sept. 17. All on-ice training camp practice sessions are open to the public and will be held at Ford Ice Center Bellevue. 

Team meetings will be held on Sept. 17, with practices beginning on Sept. 18. The Predators will play two of their four preseason games at Bridgestone Arena against the Florida Panthers (Sept. 21) and Tampa Bay Lightning (Sept. 23). 

Nashville will face the Lightning and Panthers on the road on Sept. 27 and Sept. 28. 

Its game against the Panthers on Sept. 21 will be a split roster session. The first game will start at 2 p.m., followed by the second game at 6 p.m. I

The Predators will also host a Gold Star Showcase, which is an intersquad scrimmage, at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville on Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m. 

Predators training camp roster

FORWARDS (29) 

7 Dylan Gambrell * 6-0 191 R Bonney Lake, Wash. 8/26/96 Cleveland (AHL)

9 Filip Forsberg 6-1 205 R Ostervala, Sweden 8/13/94 Nashville (NHL)

21 Jacob Lucchini 6-0 180 L Trail, B.C. 5/9/95 Nashville (NHL)/Milwaukee (AHL)

25 Joakim Kemell 5-11 182 R Jyväskylä, Finland 4/27/04 Nashville (NHL)/Milwaukee (AHL)

26 Daniel Carr * 6-0 186 L Sherwood Park, Alta. 11/1/91 HC Lugano (Swiss League)

36 Cole Smith 6-3 195 L Brainerd, Minn. 10/28/95 Nashville (NHL)

40 Fedor Svechkov 6-0 187 L Togliatti, Russia 4/5/03 Nashville (NHL)/Milwaukee (AHL)

44 Brady Martin 6-0 185 R Kitchener, Ont. 3/16/07 Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)

45 Kalan Lind 6-1 162 L Swift Current, Sask. 1/25/05 Milwaukee (AHL)/Red Deer (WHL)

47 Michael McCarron 6-6 232 R Grosse Pointe, Mich. 3/7/95 Nashville (NHL)

49 Reid Schaefer 6-5 226 L Edmonton, Alta. 9/21/03 Milwaukee (AHL)

53 Hiroki Gojsic 6-3 210 R Langley, B.C. 5/1/06 Kelowna (WHL)

56 Erik Haula 5-11 191 L Pori, Finland 3/23/91 New Jersey (NHL)

58 Michael Bunting 6-0 186 L Scarborough, Ont. 9/17/95 Nashville (NHL)/Pittsburgh (NHL)

60 David Edstrom 6-4 193 L Gothenburg, Sweden 2/18/05 Frolunda (Sweden)

61 Joey Willis 5-11 184 L Elmhurst, Ill. 3/14/05 Kingston (OHL)/Saginaw (OHL)

63 Kyle Marino * 6-3 220 R Niagara Falls, Ont. 6/1/95 Milwaukee (AHL)

65 Cole O'Hara 6-0 189 R Richmond Hill, Ont. 6/20/02 Milwaukee (AHL)/UMass Amherst (Hockey East)

68 Zachary L'Heureux 5-11 197 L Montreal, Que. 5/15/03 Nashville (NHL)/Milwaukee (AHL)

71 Matthew Wood 6-4 202 R Nanaimo, B.C. 2/6/05 Nashville (NHL)/Minnesota (Big Ten)

75 Navrin Mutter 6-3 202 L London, Ont. 3/15/01 Milwaukee (AHL)

77 Luke Evangelista 6-0 183 R Toronto, Ont. 2/21/02 Nashville (NHL)

78 Ryder Rolston 6-1 175 R Boston, Mass. 10/31/01 Milwaukee (AHL)/Rockford (AHL)

81 Jonathan Marchessault 5-9 185 R Cap-Rouge, Que. 12/27/90 Nashville (NHL)

89 Ozzy Wiesblatt 5-10 183 R Calgary, Alta. 3/9/02 Nashville (NHL)/Milwaukee (AHL)

90 Ryan O'Reilly 6-1 207 L Clinton, Ont. 2/7/91 Nashville (NHL)

91 Steven Stamkos 6-1 193 R Markham, Ont. 2/7/90 Nashville (NHL)

93 Austin Roest 5-10 184 R Coldstream, B.C. 1/22/04 Everett (WHL)

97 Oasiz Wiesblatt * 5-7 180 L Vancouver, B.C. 4/8/04 Medicine Hat (WHL)

DEFENSEMEN (19) 

5 Kevin Gravel 6-4 205 L Kingsford, Mich. 3/6/92 Nashville (NHL)/Milwaukee (AHL)

8 Andreas Englund 6-4 200 L Stockholm, Sweden 1/21/96 Nashville (NHL)/Los Angeles (NHL)

20 Justin Barron 6-2 198 R Halifax, N.S. 11/15/01 Nashville (NHL)/Montreal (NHL)

24 Spencer Stastney 6-0 184 L Woodbridge, Ill. 1/4/00 Nashville (NHL)/Milwaukee (AHL)

37 Nick Blankenburg 5-9 177 R Washington, Mich. 5/12/98 Nashville (NHL)/Milwaukee (AHL)

41 Nicolas Hague 6-6 245 L Kitchener, Ont. 12/5/98 Vegas (NHL)

42 Zack Hayes * 6-3 224 L Calgary, Alta. 4/24/99 Laval (AHL)

48 Nick Perbix 6-4 206 R Elk River, Minn. 6/15/98 Tampa Bay (NHL)

50 Tanner Molendyk 5-11 190 L McBride, B.C. 2/3/05 Medicine Hat (WHL)/Saskatoon (WHL)

51 Jack Matier 6-6 205 R Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. 4/8/03 Milwaukee (AHL)

52 Cameron Reid 6-0 179 L St. Thomas, Ont. 4/8/07 Kitchener (OHL)

57 Chad Nychuk * 6-1 194 L Rossburn, Man. 3/6/01 Milwaukee (AHL)/Atlanta (ECHL)

59 Roman Josi 6-1 201 L Bern, Switzerland 6/1/90 Nashville (NHL)

76 Brady Skjei 6-3 210 L Lakeville, Minn. 3/26/94 Nashville (NHL)

82 Jordan Oesterle 6-0 181 L Dearborn Heights, Mich. 6/25/1992 Nashville (NHL)/Boston (NHL)

83 Adam Wilsby 6-1 188 L Stockholm, Sweden 8/7/00 Nashville (NHL)/Milwaukee (AHL)

85 Ryan Ufko 6-0 174 R Smithtown, N.Y. 5/7/03 Nashville (NHL)/Milwaukee (AHL)

92 Andrew Gibson 6-4 211 R Windsor, Ont. 2/13/05 Oshawa (OHL)/Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)

98 Alex Huang 6-0 180 R Montreal, Que. 7/30/07 Chicoutimi (QMJHL)

GOALTENDERS (7) 

1 Ethan Haider 6-3 197 L St. Louis Park, Minn. 9/4/01 Milwaukee (AHL)/Atlanta (ECHL)

29 Justus Annunen 6-4 210 L Kempele, Finland 3/11/00 Nashville (NHL)/Colorado (NHL)

30 Magnus Chrona 6-6 225 L Stockholm, Sweden 8/28/00 Milwaukee (AHL)

31 T.J. Semptimphelter * 6-1 190 L Marlton, N.J. 5/9/02 Bridgeport (AHL)/North Dakota (NCHC)

32 Matt Murray 6-1 196 L St. Albert, Alta. 2/2/98 Milwaukee (AHL)

39 Jakub Milota 6-1 178 L Ostrava, Czechia 4/14/06 Cape Breton (QMJHL) 

74 Juuse Saros 5-11 180 L Forssa, Finland 4/19/95 Nashville (NHL)

* indicates player is attending camp on a tryout agreement

Predators training camp, preseason schedule 

Wednesday, Sept. 17

All day Physicals/team meeting Bridgestone Arena

Thursday, Sept. 18

8:45 a.m. Practice - Group A Ford Ice Center Belleuve

10:50 a.m. 12:50 p.m. Practice - Group B Ford Ice Center Belleuve

Practice - Group C Ford Ice Center Belleuve

Friday, Sept. 19

8:50 a.m. Practice - Group B Ford Ice Center Belleuve

9:30 a.m. 10:10 a.m. 10:10 a.m. 10:50 a.m. 11:20 a.m. Scrimmage - Group B/C Ford Ice Center Belleuve

Scrimmage - Group A/B Ford Ice Center Belleuve

Practice - Group C Ford Ice Center Belleuve

Scrimmage - Group A/C Ford Ice Center Belleuve

Practice - Group A Ford Ice Center Belleuve

Saturday, Sept. 20

9:15 a.m. Practice - Group C Ford Ice Center Belleuve

10 a.m. 11 a.m. 1 p.m. Scrimmage - Group A/C Ford Ice Center Belleuve

Practice - Group A Ford Ice Center Belleuve

Practice - Group B Ford Ice Center Belleuve

Sunday, Sept. 21

2 p.m. Game vs. Florida Panthers Bridgestone Arena

6 p.m. Game vs. Florida Panthers Bridgestone Arena

Monday, Sept. 22

Day off

Tuesday, Sept. 23

7 p.m. Game vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Ford Ice Center Belleuve

Wednesday, Sept. 24

10 a.m. Practice - Group A Ford Ice Center Belleuve

12:15 p.m. Practice - Group B Ford Ice Center Belleuve

Thursday, Sept. 25

6:30 p.m. Gold Star Showcase Presented F&M Bank Arena By Ticketmaster

Friday, Sept. 26

10 a.m. Practice - Group A Ford Ice Center Belleuve

12:15 p.m. Practice - Group B Ford Ice Center Belleuve

Saturday, Sept. 27

6 p.m. Game at Tampa Bay Lightning Benchmark International Arena

Sunday, Sept. 28

6 p.m. Game at Carolina Hurricanes Lenovo Center

Nearly seven weeks have passed since the five players involved in the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault trial were found not guilty on all charges. And yet, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote and Dillon Dube continue to remain ineligible to return to the NHL.

At least, for now.

According to NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, a decision on the players’ future is coming. The question is whether it will arrive before the start of the 2025-26 regular season.

“I don’t have an update,” Daly told reporters at the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour in Las Vegas on Tuesday. “But I do anticipate a decision in the relatively near future.”

There is no guarantee that any of the players will be allowed back into the NHL this season. Even if they are, there is no guarantee that any of the 32 teams will want to offer any of them a contract.

Although all five players were found not guilty of sexual assault, the details of the trial shined a light on toxic masculinity and the negative culture that still pervades the sport of hockey. What the players did behind closed doors after a night of drinking at a Hockey Canada gala honoring their victory at the 2018 World Junior Championship might not have been criminal. But it was wrong on several levels.

NHL Made The Right But Difficult Decision With The Five Former WJC Players Found Not Guilty When a London, Ont., judge ruled on Thursday that all five players involved in the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault trial were not guilty on all charges, the NHL found itself at a crossroads of moral decency. 

“The allegations made in this case, even if not determined to have been criminal, were very disturbing, and the behavior at issue was unacceptable,” the NHL released in a statement at the conclusion of the trial.

“We will be reviewing and considering the judge's findings. While we conduct that analysis and determine next steps, the players charged in this case are ineligible to play in the league.”

The NHL’s strong stance could explain why Formenton, whose NHL rights are still owned by the Ottawa Senators, recently signed a three-and-a-half-month contract to play in Switzerland.

When asked about Formenton during the Senators’ annual charity golf tournament on Monday, GM Steve Staois refused to say whether he had interest in the 25-year-old left winger.

Senators Aren't Saying Whether They'll Sign, Trade, Or Walk Away From Alex FormentonAt the team's annual charity golf tournament on Monday, Ottawa Senators GM Steve Staios held court with the media and was asked, among other things, about winger Alex Formenton. TSN's Clare Hanna brought up the fact that Formenton had signed to play in Switzerland again, that his rights still belonged to Ottawa and asked Staios if he had spoken to the player or if he had any thoughts.

“I have no comment on that. In fact, it's a league matter, and the player is ineligible to play,” Staios told reporters. “I won't comment on it.”

Formenton is not the only player who has played in Europe since London police initially laid charges on the five men.

Dube and McLeod, who last played for the Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils, respectively, spent last season in Russia. Foote, a Tampa Bay Lightning first-round draft pick who has played for Nashville and New Jersey, spent last season in Slovakia.

Report: Flyers Interested in Carter Hart ReunionAccording to a report, the Philadelphia Flyers are one of several teams interested in free agent goalie Carter Hart.

Hart is so far the only player who is yet to play in North America or elsewhere. However, there are reports suggesting that several teams, including Philadelphia, where he last played, could be interested in signing the once-promising goalie if he becomes eligible to return to the NHL.

When — or if that is — remains unclear.

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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, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results. 

Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. All are 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 40 NHL games. 

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Projecting Sabres Trade Cost - Lawson Crouse 

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

#4 - Noah Ostlund  - Center (Rochester - AHL, Buffalo - NHL) 

 Ostlund was the Sabres second first-round pick (16th overall) at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal after scoring 42 points for the Djurgardens junior-level club, 10 points for Sweden at the Under-18s, and a brief stint in the SHL. The following season, he had 26 points (8 goals, 18 assists) in 37 regular-season games in the second-level pro league Allsvenskan and four points (1 goal, 3 assists) for Team Sweden at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships. 

He travelled to North America after his season in Sweden and joined the Rochester Americans for their Calder Cup Playoff run, but did not play. The Stockholm native chose not to come over to start the 2023-24 season, instead returning to Sweden to play for Vaxjo and play again for his country at the 2024 World Junior in Gothenburg. 

The 20-year-old thrived at the WJC, scoring 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in seven games and earning a silver medal. Ostlund was also a solid contributor for Vaxjo, with 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 38 games, and joined Rochester at the end of the AHL season, earning an assist in two regular-season games and one goal in three playoff games.

In his first full season in North America, Ostlund missed nearly two months with a hand injury, but returned just before Christmas and went goalless in his first 10 games, but the 21-year-old began to produce at a high rate since the middle of February, scoring 11 goals in a 15-game stretch, earning an NHL recall and playing the final eight games with the Sabres. In 45 games with the Amerks, he scored 36 points (19 goals, 17 assists) in 45 games in the regular season.

Similar to countryman Isak Rosen, Ostlund is a player with talent, but it is unknown whether he will get a legitimate NHL opportunity. Being a year younger than Rosen, the young center has more time to develop his game and will need to put up big numbers in Rochester this season to earn a chance with the Sabres. 

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Dalibor Dvorsky's rookie season in the AHL was outstanding, so much so that he earned a call-up to the NHL, where he skated in his first two games, but if the 20-year-old wants to be a full-time NHLer, he may have to do it on the wing. 

Throughout his junior and AHL career, Dvorsky has been a center, and a very good one at that. But the current makeup of the St. Louis Blues indicates that his initial breakthrough into the NHL may have to come on the wing, a position he has some experience playing in. 

Currently, the Blues centers consist of Robert Thomas, Brayden Schenn, Pius Suter and Oskar Sundqvist, all of whom aren't moving from the middle of the ice unless injuries occur. Where the Blues may have openings is on the wing, especially after Zack Bolduc was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in the off-season. 

Dvorsky plays a very balanced game. He is an excellent puckhandler and uses his stick handling to create open ice to show off his elite release and passing abilities. On the defensive side, Dvorsky's 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame allows him to use his size to knock players off the puck and his hockey IQ to position himself to break up plays. 

Dvorsky's AHL rookie campaign witnessed him notch 21 goals and 45 points, ranking tied for second in goals and tied for third in points on the Springfield Thunderbirds. A strong rookie camp, followed by training camp, pre-season and then the start of the AHL season should put Dvorsky at the top of the list of forwards to be called up to the NHL. 

Schenn, the Blues' captain, is the current second-line center, but now 34 years old, Schenn isn't getting any younger, and as he inches towards the conclusion of his eight-year, $6.5 million contract, it may be wise for the Blues to transition him to the wing in the next two seasons. At the moment, Schenn hasn't shown any signs of slowing down, but when that day does come, the patience the Blues have demonstrated with Dvorsky, their 2023 10th overall pick, will pay off. 

He'll be able to take Schenn's role as the No.2 center and allow him to move into the bottom-six, providing the Blues with additional depth. 

The Blues have made it very apparent that they are willing to give their prospects as much time as they believe they need to be NHL-ready and fit a role when they do enter the lineup. No Blues prospect highlights this more than Dvorsky. He may not play all 82 games with the Blues or be in the lineup when the playoffs roll around, but when he does enter the lineup, he won't be taken aback by the level of play. 

Blues Announce Roster, Schedule For Tom Kurvers Prospect ShowcaseThe St. Louis Blues announced their roster and schedule for the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase, which will take place from September 12-14, at TRIA Rink in St. Paul, Minnesota.