Category: Ice Hockey

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. 

Other Sabres Stories

Projecting Sabres Trade Cost - Lawson Crouse 

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

#11 - Nikita Novikov - Defense (Rochester - AHL)

Novikov was the Sabres sixth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft after playing in the junior level MHL in the Moscow Dynamo system and an impressive performance for Russia at the 2021 IIHF Under-18s. The 6’4″, 218 lb. blueliner is physical and plays well positionally, which enabled him to play 94 KHL games over two seasons as a teenager. 

After signing his entry-level deal with the Sabres, the 21-year-old came to North America and adjusted to the AHL game fairly quickly, putting up 23 points (3 goals, 20 assists) in 65 games as a rookie. In his second season, the 22-year-old put up nearly identical stats (20 points in 68 games) but doubled his goal-scoring output to six. 

Former Amerks head coach Seth Appert said that Novikov’s offensive instincts are underrated, but that he will have to build on his large frame and get stronger to make the NHL down the road. The hurdle he will have to jump is that he is likely fifth or sixth on the Sabres depth chart in terms of left-handed defenseman, behind Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Bowen Byram, Mattias Samuelsson and Ryan Johnson, which could mean that his path to the NHL may require a trade out of Buffalo. 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

Chicago Blackhawks legend Jonathan Toews has been out of the NHL for a couple of years now, but he is set to return with his hometown Winnipeg Jets in 2025-26. He signed a one-year deal with them early in the off-season. 

Now, hockey is slowly starting back up as players are starting to publicly take the ice in preparation for the 2025-26 season. Toews was one of the players to hit the ice with his new team's colors in Manitoba on Tuesday.

You can see Toews wearing Jets gear for the first time, which is also the first NHL gear he’s worn as a professional since the Chicago Blackhawks took him 3rd overall in 2006. 

Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) on X📣 WE PLAY HOCKEY THIS MONTH 🤩Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) on X📣 WE PLAY HOCKEY THIS MONTH 🤩

Although seeing Toews in other NHL colors can bring somber feelings to Chicago sports fans, it is great that he’s healthy enough to come back and play in the best league in the world. His health was always of the utmost concern, and he seems to be doing well. 

Toews and the Jets will come to the United Center on January 19th. This will be his first career appearance in Chicago as a road player. That promises to be an incredibly emotional day for hockey fans in town. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

With the Chicago Blackhawks now being a few years into their rebuild, they have a very strong prospect pool. They have plenty of exciting youngsters in their system, and a good chunk of them have the potential to be regulars in their lineup in 2025-26. 

Among the Blackhawks' most exciting prospects heading into the new season is defenseman Sam Rinzel. The youngster left a solid first impression with the Blackhawks this past season after signing his entry-level deal in March, as he recorded five assists and a plus-1 rating in nine games. 

Now, Rinzel's strong start has garnered him some praise, as The Hockey News' Eric Cruikshank listed the Blackhawks prospect among the NHL's top under-the-radar Calder Trophy candidates for this upcoming season. 

Given how well Rinzel played immediately after joining the Blackhawks' roster, it is understandable that Cruikshank sees him as a Calder Trophy candidate to watch. The potential for the 2022 first-round pick to become a very good NHL defenseman is there, and it would not be surprising if he broke out in a big way next season because of it. 

Rinzel's play at the collegiate level only creates more excitement about his future. During his freshman year with the University of Minnesota, he recorded two goals and 28 points in 39 games. He then followed that up by taking a big step forward this past campaign, posting 10 goals and 332 points in 40 games.

Now, it will be interesting to see what Rinzel can do during his first full season with the Blackhawks in 2025-26 from here. 

Blackhawks Forward Named Potential Target For CanadiensIt is not exactly a secret that the Montreal Canadiens want to improve at the center position. Due to this, during a recent episode of The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro, TSN's Travis Yost discussed a few potential center targets for the Canadiens. One name brought up by Yost was Chicago Blackhawks center Jason Dickinson.

The Montreal Canadiens are one of the most-talked-about teams in the rumor mill right now. This is especially the case when it comes to the possibility of the Canadiens trading away Carey Price's contract. 

During a recent episode of NHL Insider Notebook for Bleacher Report, Frank Seravalli provided the latest on the Price trade rumors. 

"I think there is a door open to the Montreal Canadiens to move it (Price's contract)," Seravalli said. "There are only so few teams that actually want to acquire it. The benefit would be if you're a team that is already operating in LTIR space, you can continue to work that around."

However, Seravalli then shared a different take by adding that he believes the Canadiens successfully being able to trade Price's contract is a "long shot."

"We'll see if anyone steps up and trades for it, but it's probably a bit of a long shot, but I know that the Canadiens are open to do it."

The Canadiens are open to trading the remainder of Carey Price's contract, but they may have a hard time finding a trade partner (w/ @frank_seravalli) pic.twitter.com/5tJqIYW8uo

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 2, 2025

This is certainly an interesting update from Seravalli on the Price trade rumors. Time will tell if the Canadiens will find a way to move out his contract, but it is certainly a storyline to pay attention to from here. If they do move out of his contract, it would certainly open the door for the Canadiens to make potential moves elsewhere. 

Canadiens: New and Improved Joshua Roy Is An Intriguing Breakout CandidateWhen St-Georges native Joshua Roy turned up at the CN Sports Complexe in Brossard for training camp last season, he was pencilled in to make the Montreal Canadiens’ roster. But when the players hit the ice, it became apparent that the likes of Emil Heineman and Oliver Kapanen were outperforming him. A couple of weeks later, he landed in the AHL with the Laval Rocket, where he spent much of the last season, putting up 35 points in 47 games. In the 12 games he played in the NHL, he added two goals and failed to make much of an impact.

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

On Tuesday, David Pagnotta, an NHL insider for NHL Network and The Fourth Period, reported that "There are several teams, including the Philadelphia Flyers, interested in goaltender Carter Hart, but they continue to wait on the NHL’s decision to determine when he is eligible to play."

Hart, 27, was found not guilty of the sexual assault charge levied against him, stemming from the 2018 Hockey Canada case, on July 24, though his reinstatement into the NHL is pending the league's decision.

The Flyers' former second-round pick hasn't played competitive hockey since his last appearance for the Flyers, which saw him cede five goals on 15 shots in a 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 20, 2024.

Ex-Flyers Goalie Carter Hart Not Expected to Join OilersAccording to a new report, the goalie-needy Edmonton Oilers are not expected to target former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart at this time.

Hart and Alex Formenton were the only players in the Hockey Canada case to have not played competitive hockey since being charged; Michael McLeod and Dillon Dube each played in the KHL last season, while Cal Foote played in Slovakia.

A potential Hart return makes for an interesting situation for the Flyers, given that they went out and signed Dan Vladar to a roster that already features Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov.

Plus, Carson Bjarnason is turning pro this year, and Aleksei Kolosov is expected to be back in the fold as well.

It could make for a crowded goalie room, but if the Flyers' reported interest is true, they must have some kind of contingent plan of action.

Perhaps the wisest move for Hart is to attempt return to game form playing in the AHL without any significant contractual commitments from the Flyers.

This situation is very fresh and there are still many moving parts, but this report is certainly fascinating with such little time before the start of training camp.

The NHL’s 2025-26 season is almost upon us, and it’s a great time here at THN.com’s Buffalo Sabres site, as we’re working through a player-by-player series breaking down expectations for each Sabres player in 2025-26.

Each of these files are written with the base knowledge that every Buffalo player has one goal – getting the Sabres into the Stanley Cup playoffs. But as individuals, each Sabre has their own expectations. 

That said, in recent days, we’ve been moving through Buffalo’s goalies and their top defensemen. And in this file, we’re focusing on veteran defenseman Conor Timmins – the blueliner the Sabres picked up in an off-season trade that sent veteran D-man Connor Clifton to the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Timmins is well-traveled for good reason – he’s not a top-four defender, at least, not at the NHL level. But he clearly has value for Sabres GM Kevyn Adams. So let’s explore the Timmins acquisition and see what, if anything might be there beneath the surface for him as a Sabre.

Player Name: Conor Timmins

Position: Defenseman

Age: 26

2024-25 Key Statistics: 68 games between Maple Leafs and Penguins, 12 assists, 15 points, 15:46 career average time-on-ice

2025-26 Salary:$2.2 million

2025-26 Expectations: In his five seasons as an NHLer, Timmins has shown flashes that make you want to believe he can be a top-four defenseman. For example, the Toronto Maple Leafs were enamored of him when he put up 12 assists and 14 points in just 25 games in 2022-23.  The love, though, didn't last.

The Leafs eventually moved on from him when they dealt him to the Pittsburgh Penguins. And this summer, he was traded to the Sabres, ostensibly to serve as a third-pair D-man and insurance if Buffalo suffers an injury to a legitimate top-four D-man.

Timmins is never going to make life tough on opponents in a physical sense. He’s also not a shutdown artist. But he can skate, and he can find some seams and chip in an assist now and then. But if he’s playing in your top-four, we’re guessing this would be Plan B or Plan C in your blueprint for success.

The Sabres’ defense corps on the whole is one of the better groups in the league. But they’re not there because Timmins is going to take them to a new level. He’s not going to make highlight-reel plays, and he’s not going to knock his opponent’ block off. He’s a well-paid third pair guy, so he has to deliver solid results.

Timmins is nearly the archetype of the NHL footsoldier player. If he’s on your team, it had better be on the third pair. Otherwise, you’re going to ask too much of Timmins, and you could wind up disappointed. And time will tell whether the Sabres did the right thing in trading for him and signing him to a two-year deal. 

Timmins isn’t just a warm body, but in six NHL seasons including the upcoming season, Timmins will have played for five different teams. There’s a reason why he’s been move so often – he hasn’t made himself indispensable. And until that happens, Timmins will likely continue to bounce around. 

The Ducks have announced their roster for rookie camp and the 2025 Golden State Rookie Faceoff, which takes place from Sept. 12-14 at Great Park Ice and FivePoint Arena in Irvine, Calif.

Anaheim’s 23-player roster is highlighted by 2024 first-round picks Beckett Sennecke and Stian Solberg, who were both unable to participate in last year’s rookie tournament. This year’s roster is a bit smaller than previous years due to the minimal amount of games and many players opting to play in the NCAA this season. Collegiate players rarely, if ever, participate in this event.

Only four of the Ducks’ 10 draft selections (Noah Read, Alexis Mathieu, Émile Guité, Brady Turko) from the 2025 NHL Draft will be participating, as rest of them, including 10th overall pick Roger McQueen, are either playing in the NCAA or in Europe.

Chatting With the Ducks’ 2025 Draft ClassThe Ducks selected 10 players in the 2025 NHL Draft, though only three of them attended the draft. All 10 were at development camp the following week though, going through rigorous drills and testing.

Aside from Sennecke and Solberg, players like Yegor Sidorov and Ian Moore should be expected to play big roles. Sidorov participated in last year’s tournament, holding down a spot in the top-6. His scoring prowess makes him a dangerous offensive player. How he handles physicality and making himself less of a predictable player to defend should be targeted areas of improvement for him.

Moore played three games for the Ducks last season after signing his entry-level contract (ELC) in April. He showed poise with the puck and used his skating to escape dangerous areas in his own zone. He even picked up his first NHL point on Troy Terry’s game-tying goal in the final game of the season. With just two right-handed defensemen on the roster, Moore will likely be tasked with top pair minutes alongside Solberg. The duo played together briefly as a pair in the AHL and didn’t look too out of sorts.

With five left-handed defensemen on the roster, ant least one player will have to be utilized on their off-hand. Tarin Smith played his off-side while with Canada at the World Juniors Summer Showcase and could do so again.

Despite a smaller roster than previous years, Anaheim still has three camp invites on their roster this year. Forwards Ryan Lautenbach and Owen Lindmark signed amateur tryouts (ATOs) late last season with the San Diego Gulls and will be looking to make an impact—and possibly earn a contract—with their play. Forward Ruslan Gazizov did just that last year with his strong performances.

This will be the third consecutive camp that goaltender Mike McIvor has been invited to after he was a 2024 rookie camp invite and 2025 development camp invite. A teammate of Ducks draft pick Ethan Procyszyn with the North Bay Battalion, McIvor isn’t the tallest goalie at 6-foot-1. But he uses his athleticism well to get himself into the right position. Catching with his right hand, his unorthodox style may initially throw opposing players off too.

The Ducks rookie faceoff roster will be led by the San Diego Gulls’ coaching staff, with head coach Matt McIlvane being supported by 50/50 new/old coaching staff in Dave Manson, Michael Babcock, Jeff Glass and Lucas Hurtt. This will be McIlvane’s third time coaching the rookie faceoff team.

The Ducks will play the San Jose Sharks on Friday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. PST and play the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. PST. Single-game tickets will be available to the general public at $15 per game.

---

Related articles:

2025-26 Anaheim Ducks Awards Preview: Joel Quenneville, Jack Adams Favorite

2025-26 Anaheim Ducks Awards Preview: Odds Lukas Dostal Wins Vezina

What to Expect from the Anaheim Ducks when They're Contending, How They Stack Up to Similar Teams

With the calendar flipping to a new month and the kids trudging back to school, we're officially now in NHL preview season as hockey fans across the nation ravenously get up to speed on what to expect this year.

NHL teams and players, on the other hand, generally have little interest in such things as they begin to gather and focus on informal skates, team fantasy football, and full training camps. But if they're being honest, there's one preview that holds some annual interest for a lot of NHL players, and that's their personal overall rating when the preview for the new EA Sports NHL game comes out.

This year's game is available on September 12, but can be pre-ordered now. In the meantime, the players' ratings – based on several things, including acceleration, speed, deking, passing, slapshot, and wrist shot – have been published, along with the various teasers and trailers. Of the over 300 players whose ratings were revealed, 10 play for the Senators, but no one in the local glory made the league's top 40.

To put things in perspective, when the preview recently came out, the freakishly excellent Connor McDavid checked in at number one with an absurd 97 rating.

By contrast, only one Ottawa Senator hit a rating of 90 in the game, and it isn't Brady Tkachuk, the player who's on the cover of this year's deluxe edition of the game. No, it's Tim Stutzle who leads the way with an overall rating of 90, good for 42nd best in the league. Tkachuk is close behind at 89, along with defenseman Jake Sanderson.

Stutzle leads or co-leads his team in every category on the offensive chart except for the ones that involve shooting, which Sens fans would like to see him do a little more of. In 2022-23, Stutzle had 39 goals, which is roughly his total from the past two years combined (18, 24). Last year, Stutzle took 162 shots, the lowest total since his rookie, COVID-shortened season in 2021.

EA Sports believes Thomas Chabot has the team's best slap shot and wrister on the team, which belies his shooting percentage (5%), which was 20th best on the team last season. Chabot is the only Senator on the chart below with 90s across the board, but his physicality and defensive awareness ratings pull him down a rung or two.

Here's the Senators' full list. You can see more details on each player's strengths and weaknesses here.

By Steve Warne
This article was first published at The Hockey News-Ottawa

More Sens Headlines at THN:
Four Major Storylines This Month At Ottawa Senators Training Camp
Senators Still Own Formenton's NHL Rights – What's Next?
Our One-On-One With Drake Batherson
Senators Confirm Extension For Pinto Won't Happen Until After Season Starts
Staios: 'We're Not Dismissing That Yakemchuk Makes Our Team Out of Camp'
Ottawa Senators: Ranking The Six Best At Each Position

The Philadelphia Flyers and top center prospect Jett Luchanko are about to benefit massively from this new AHL rule change, reported to take effect starting this season.

On Tuesday, PuckPedia reported that AHL loans for 19-year-old players, a rule passed in the new CBA with the NHL, will take effect in the 2025-26 season, allowing the Flyers to send Luchanko to the AHL to further develop.

Update: PuckPedia posted the following correction to their X account: " The 19 year old AHL change is not yet in effect. It requires agreement with CHL, & the NHL/NHLPA have agreed to push to get this agreement & change done for this season. However, those negotiations have not started yet & no guarantee it's effective 25-26."

Ordinarily, Luchanko, who turned 19 just over a week ago, would have needed to either make the Flyers' NHL roster outright to play pro, or spend another season in the CHL playing for the OHL Guelph Storm.

And, as we know, the Storm aren't the greatest team in the OHL, and they traded away most of their auxiliary talent last season.

This report has to be a sigh of relief for the Flyers, who saw what their top center prospect can do at the pro level in a small sample size a few months ago.

Luchanko picked up three assists in nine regular season games with the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season, then added six more assists in seven postseason contests.

The 2024 first-round pick hasn't scored a pro goal between 16 total AHL games and four NHL games with the Flyers, but shooting and scoring instincts were a generally agreed-upon criticism of Luchanko before he was even selected last June.

Flyers Roster Battles Become Clearer with Porter Martone Taking NCAA RoutePorter Martone's commitment to the NCAA's Michigan State means one less winger is battling for a roster spot with the Philadelphia Flyers this fall.

Considering he only just turned 19 and has succeeded playing against men, there's no reason to believe Luchanko can't develop and build upon the last 12 months in an environment more conducive to growth with the Phantoms.

The 19-year-old's supporting cast in Allentown could shrink slightly after training camp, provided teammates like Alex Bump and Nikita Grebenkin make the NHL roster and stick with the Flyers.

Either way, though, players like Bump, Grebenkin, Devin Kaplan, Samu Tuomaala, Karsen Dorwart, Massimo Rizzo, Denver Barkey, and Alexis Gendron are marked improvements on what Luchanko had in Guelph the last two years.

What the Flyers' prized center prospect achieves next will be exciting to watch.

The news that fans of the Detroit Red Wings had been waiting for was finally delivered last month.

Former Red Wings Hall of Fame forward Sergei Fedorov, one of the greatest players in team history who was an integral part of three Stanley Cup wins, will finally have his iconic No. 91 retired by the club and hung from the rafters at Little Caesars Arena. 

A Red Wing at heart. pic.twitter.com/TqYBHQWi5b

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 19, 2025

The announcement of the impending honor, which was met with overwhelming approval, is also being acknowledged by a former member of the Red Wings who played a lone season in Hockeytown.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Daniel Sprong, who suited up for the Red Wings in the 2023-24 NHL campaign and now plays in the KHL for CSKA Moscow, recently disclosed that he chose jersey No. 91 specifically in honor of Fedorov. 

“He is one of the best players. He is special, that is why I chose number 91," Sprong explained via Sport-Express. 

“It is a great honor for me to play under this number for CSKA. I hope that he will be proud of me.”

Not only did Sprong briefly don the Winged Wheel as Fedorov did for so many years, but he also now plays for the same club Fedorov skated for prior to his extremely risky defection to the United States in 1991. 

"Fedorov is strong in his style of play, he could do everything on the ice," Sprong said. "He could gather three people around him and outplay them.”

“My Heart Beat Faster”: Sergei Fedorov Recaps Finding Out Of Jersey Retirement NewsThe iconic No. 91 jersey of former Detroit Red Wings forward Sergei Fedorov will soon be taking its rightful place in the rafters of Little Caesars Arena, and will be displayed alongside the eight previously retired numbers that include his teammates Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom.

Sprong signed with the Red Wings as an unrestricted free agent during the 2023 offseason, and scored 18 goals with 25 assists in 76 games, the second-highest goal output of his NHL career. 

🚨 Daniel Sprong opens the scoring for CSKA in the 2nd period on the powerplay. #KHLpreseasonpic.twitter.com/lb8k2GUNCH

— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) August 28, 2025

In Fedorov's honor, CSKA Moscow recently retired his number at CSKA Arena. In Detroit, a special ceremony will be held at Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 12 before a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, a matchup carrying some irony.

It was Carolina who signed Fedorov to the infamous offer sheet in early 1998, which Detroit matched, ultimately paying him $28 million for just three months of play.

Follow Michael Whitaker On X

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites. 

No matter how dominant they may be, veteran NHL players rarely, if ever, get to end their playing careers on a perfect note.

Father Time always catches up, but sometimes, they're just not in a circumstance befitting of the elite place they’ve carved out for themselves.

You can see that with Detroit Red Wings right winger Patrick Kane. At 36, Kane can still be a solid contributor, posting 21 goals and 59 points last season. But Kane signed only a one-year, $3-million contract for this coming year on a middling Red Wings team that will compete hard just to try to make the playoffs. If Kane sticks with the Wings for the rest of his career, it's unlikely he'll have a chance of winning the Stanley Cup for the fourth time.

So Kane’s last chance at hockey glory could come on the international stage, if he makes the U.S. team at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Kane doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone. His career totals of 492 goals and 1,343 points in 1,302 regular-season games, on top of his three Cup wins with the Chicago Blackhawks, make him a lock to be a Hockey Hall of Famer when he hangs up his skates.

But given that the Red Wings will be picked by many to miss the playoffs this coming season, you can see how Kane needs to make the most of his status as a U.S. icon and help lead Team America to a gold medal win at the 2026 Games in Milan, Italy.

That said, Kane isn’t guaranteed to make the American roster. Indeed, in this writer’s projected U.S. roster for the Olympics, Kane was not on the team.

“The one thing that's kind of missing is a gold in best-on-best, right?” Kane told NHL.com last week at the Americans' Olympic orientation camp. “It would be fun to have that opportunity.”

U.S. GM Bill Guerin has a very deep talent pool from which to draft a roster, and he may choose to go with a youth movement and select young wingers like Utah’s Clayton Keller, Minnesota’s Matt Boldy, Buffalo’s Tage Thompson and Montreal’s Cole Caufield at right wing. So Kane will have all the motivation in the world to come out of the starting gate strongly this season and nudge one of those aforementioned young players out of a roster spot for the Olympics.

If Kane does make the U.S. roster, who’s to say he won’t have one more place in the sun and one final chapter he can hang his hat on as an all-time great?

The thing about Hall of Famers is that they can rise to the occasion, and Kane may have a couple of tricks still left up his sleeve. Getting to the top of the podium at the upcoming Winter Games would tie a lovely bow on his career, especially if Detroit fails to make the playoffs this year and for however long Kane remains there.

Kane’s experience as a proven winner and needle-mover might be something Guerin particularly values, especially as the U.S. tries to transition into a new era of young, up-and-comers. Kane no longer has to worry about being “The Man” at this stage in his career. So long as he can chip in some offense for the American team, he’ll be worth Guerin selecting him for the U.S. squad.

And if Kane does help America win a gold medal in Italy, it will underscore his status as one of the best and most decorated wingers the modern game has ever seen.

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.

According to multiple reports, the Philadelphia Flyers have lost hockey ops advisor Ian Laperriere to the Metropolitan Division rival New York Islanders.

Laperriere, 51, joins the Islanders from the Flyers as a pro scout, leaving his new post of hockey operations advisor.

The longtime NHLer initially remained with the Flyers in this capacity on May 27 on the heels of his dismissal as the head coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. John Snowden has since replaced him as the head coach of the Phantoms.

Neither the Flyers nor the Islanders have publicly announced the news, though The Hockey News's own Stefen Rosner confirmed the initial report from Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff.

With the Islanders organization, Laperriere is reunited with former Flyers assistant coach Rocky Thompson, who was in charge of the power play in Philadelphia.

Thompson took the reins as the head coach of the AHL Bridgeport Islanders this offseason after being let go by the Flyers.

The Florida Panthers have dominated the NHL playoffs in the past three seasons, winning the Stanley Cup twice and reaching the finals another.

They've consistently levelled up their game when the post-season rolls around, but surprisingly, they haven't dominated the regular season like you might have expected. 

Dating back to 2022-23, when they first appeared in the Stanley Cup finals, the Panthers were the eighth seed when the regular season concluded, upsetting the record-setting Boston Bruins in the first round before defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes. Upon reaching the final round, the Panthers were severely beaten up and succumbed to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. 

The following season, the Panthers carried that momentum into the regular season, beating the Bruins by one point to claim the Atlantic Division crown. In the playoffs, they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bruins, the New York Rangers and the Edmonton Oilers to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup. 

The most recent campaign witnessed the Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup winners, but the regular season wasn't always smooth sailing. They finished third in the Atlantic Division, recording 98 points and finishing just a point ahead of the Ottawa Senators. The Panthers were without home ice advantage in each series, but they took care of each opponent nonetheless.

The Panthers' post-season success hasn't been defined by regular season success, but that doesn't necessarily indicate that the Panthers should throw in the towel during the regular season and not care about playoff seeding. Home ice advantage can be an important factor in the playoffs due to the momentum from the crowd, as well as last change.

The Panthers have played a lot of hockey in the past three seasons, far more than any other team in the NHL. Fatigue is destined to catch up to the Panthers in some sort of fashion, and ensuring easier matchups earlier in the playoffs, as well as home ice advantage for line matching benefits, could be what helps the Panthers three-peat. 

Winning the division is no small feat. The Maple Leafs and the Lightning will be gunning for the crown, and it's possible the Senators and the Montreal Canadiens could be surprise challengers. Without Matthew Tkachuk for a large part of the season, the Panthers will be missing out on plenty of offense, but their depth should allow them to compete with those teams.

The New York Islanders have hired Ian Laperriére as a pro scout, industry sources have confirmd with The Hockey News, first reported by The Daily Faceoff's Anthony DiMarco.

Laperriere, 51, had spent the last four seasons as head coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the AHL affiliate for the Philadelphia Flyers. Prior to that, he served as an assistant on the Flyers bench for nine seasons. 

I can confirm @ADiMarco25's reporting that #Isles have hired former NHLer Ian Laperriere as a pro scout.

He spent the last 4 seasons as the head coach of the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He previously spent 9 seasons as an assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers.

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) September 2, 2025

Rocky Thompson, who the Islanders hired as head coach for their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, had previously spend the last two seasons as an assistant coach for the Flyers, so he knows Laperriere well. 

Back in May, the Flyers hired Laperrié as an advisor to their hockey operations department after being let go by Lehigh, but has, clearly, since decided to take on more of a hands-on job with the Islanders. 

Drafted in the seventh round (No. 158) in 1992 by the St. Louis Blues, Laperriere played 16 years in the NHL with five different teams. He played 1,083 regular season cames, recording 121 goals and 215 assists for 336 points, while racking up 1,956 penalty minutes. 

With Mathieu Darche now the general manager of the Islanders, there have been a ton of changes, with the addition of Laperriere being the latest. 

Laperriere will report to Ryan Bowness, who was hired this summer as the Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel, who will oversee the entirey of the pro scouting department. 

Ken Morrow, who has served as #Isles Director of Pro Scouting since 1992, will remain with the team in the pro scouting department.

Ryan Bowness will run the pro scouting staff.

More on Bowness's roles & what they entail @TheElmontershttps://t.co/8NzFAI9FjQ

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) June 17, 2025

We have confirmed that Islanders legend Ken Morrow, who has been a pro scout with the Islanders since 1992, will remain as a scout. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Five-time AHL All-Star and two-time Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award winner Cal O'Reilly has signed a contract with the SCL Tigers of the Swiss NL until the end of October with an option to extend. 

One of the most prolific players in AHL history, O'Reilly recorded 177 goals, 606 assists, and 783 points in 1022 games over parts of 18 seasons. He has the eighth most games played in league history, sits sixth all-time in assists, and is 18th all-time in points. 

The 38-year-old recorded 11 goals and 49 points in 68 games to lead the Milwaukee Admirals in scoring last season and was an assistant captain. 

A fifth round selection of the Nashville Predators in 2005, O'Reilly has 16 goals and 49 points in 145 career NHL games with the Predators, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, and Minnesota Wild.

O'Reilly is known as a fantastic leader and won the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award as the AHL player who best exemplifies sportsmanship in 2021 and 2025. He served as captain with four different AHL franchises over his career. 

An AHL All-Star in 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, and 2019, O'Reilly led the Calder Cup Playoffs in assists in 2015. 

While he is only signed until the end of October there is a good chance we have seen O'Reilly's Hall of Fame AHL career come to an end. 

Check out our AHL to KHL signing tracker and AHL Free Agency signing tracker.