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.
Richard was the Sabres sixth-round pick at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal who has opened eyes every year at the club's development camp. A native of Jacksonville, FL, the 6'1", 194 lb. winger played his youth hockey in Florida and a year with the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks, where he scored 48 points (18 goals, 30 assists) before being selected 170th overall.
Where will Connor Hellebuyck end up?
The following season, Richard split time between the Lumberjacks and Tri-City and increased his goal total to 31 and compiled 62 points in 57 games. As a freshman at Connecticut, he finished fourth on the club with 18 points (7 goals, 11 assists). As a sophomore, he finished second in team scoring, averaging over a point per game (15 goals, 28 assists) in 34 games.
Richard’s totals dropped in his junior season with the Huskies (10 goals, 17 assists in 38 games), but that did not dissuade the Sabres from signing him to an entry-level deal in May. With a number of forward prospects expected to be playing in Buffalo instead of Rochester, it is expected that Richard will get an opportunity to play in a scoring role in his first pro season with the Amerks.
EA Sports' latest entry for the NHL video game franchise is almost here, and with it has come their latest rankings and ratings for every player throughout the entirety of the NHL.
The New York Islanders have a roster full of burgeoning youngsters along with highly-respected veterans.
One of those veterans is right-shot defenseman Ryan Pulock.
Pulock, 31, posted 3 goals and 27 points. His 24 assists were the most he's had in a season since the 2019-20 season.
Call it the Matthew Schaefer effect, as the pairing played a huge portion of the season as a defensive pairing for New York.
But where did that leave Pulock when it came time for him to be ranked amongst his peers for NHL 27?
Pulock's rating for NHL27 is an 88 overall, after his elite season with the Islanders. He's tied with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal for the third-highest rating on the team.
Ilya Sorokin (93) is first, and Schaefer (91) is second.
The full game releases on Friday, September 11, with preorders granting 7 days of early access on Friday, September 4.
EA Sports' latest entry for the NHL video game franchise is almost here, and with it has come their latest rankings and ratings for every player throughout the entirety of the NHL.
The New York Islanders have plenty of intriguing players throughout their lineup, but the one superstar everyone wants to know about is Matthew Schaefer.
Schaefer, 18, lit the NHL on fire in his rookie season, posting 23 goals and 59 points, shattering all records for 18-year-old rookie defensemen, as he won the Calder Trophy and became the Islanders' present and future.
As a rookie, Schaefer saw his ranking start low, as all rookies have. Not the case this season. Schaefer is the Islanders highest ranked skater, and second on the team only to Ilya Sorokin.
EA Sports revealed Schaefer's overall for his sophomore season will be a 91, a massive leap forward, while also tying him for the fifth-best left-shot defenseman in the game.
He's the 35th overall player in the game.
The full game releases on Friday, September 11, with preorders granting 7 days of early access on Friday, September 4.
EA Sports' latest entry for the NHL video game franchise is almost here, and with it has come their latest rankings and ratings for every player throughout the entirety of the NHL.
Last season, Ilya Sorokin was the top-rated player for the New York Islanders, and that's a mantle he'll once again uphold.
EA Sports revealed Sorokin is a 93 overall, the second-best goalie, trailing only Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Sorokin, 31, went 29-24-2 in the 2025-26 season, and finished runner-up to Vaslievskiy for the 2026 Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league's best goaltender annually.
The full game releases on Friday, September 11, with preorders granting 7 days of early access on Friday, September 4.
‘Worth every penny’: Hockey fans react to Cale Makar’s mega-deal. [Sportsnet]
Avalanche have too much talent for this problem to continue: The Colorado Avalanche have a plethera of talent on their team, yet they rank near the bottom of the NHL in one area. [Sports Illustrated]
News Around the League
Hellebuyck open to a variety of teams as he becomes the latest Team USA Olympic gold-medallist to request trade. [TSN]
Cutter Gauthier turns down contract from Ducks [Video] [NHL]
Habs goalie rotation in flux as Samuel Montembeault remains in mix. [Montreal Gazette]
Canucks’ JT Miller admits that he went to rehab: Almost two years after the Vancouver Canucks’ dressing room fell apart, their former star admits he sought some kind of treatment. [Edmonton Journal]
Brady Tkachuk mistakenly thinks Seattle is in Canada and says that Leafs fans boo the loudest. Ex-Ottawa Senators captain ranked jeers from Canadian fans on Wingmen podcast with brother, Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk. [Toronto Sun]
Junior hockey players in OHL, WHL can seek compensation for alleged abuse. [CBC]
Hockey Canada is now jumping aboard a program started by the Canucks to give young journalists experience, in memory of the late Jason Botchford. [The Province]
Welcome to The Hockey News Vancouver Canucks site's 2026–27 player preview article series. This series will outline the expectations for every player projected to play for Vancouver during the 2026–27 season. Today's player is Canucks forward Trey Fix-Wolansky.
Fix-Wolansky's 2025-26 Season
Fix-Wolansky spent the 2025-26 campaign with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. He scored 31 goals while recording 55 points in 72 games. Fix-Wolansky also picked up 121 penalty minutes, which ranked 17th in the AHL.
Overall, Fix-Wolansky brings toughness and experience to the Abbotsford Canucks. The 27-year-old has played 361 AHL games and recorded 314 points. In addition to his time in the AHL, Fix-Wolansky has also played 26 NHL games, with the most recent coming during the 2023-24 season.
This year will be Fix-Wolansky's return to Canada. Before starting his pro career, he played three seasons in the WHL with the Edmonton Oil Kings. Fix-Wolansky's final WHL campaign was in 2018-19, when he recorded 102 points as the Oil Kings' captain.
Fix-Wolansky's 2026-27 Predictions
This off-season, Fix-Wolansky signed a two-way contract with Vancouver. While the winger has a chance to make the NHL roster, he is projected to spend the majority of the season in the AHL. Fix-Wolansky should help the younger players adjust to life in the AHL while also playing a key role in the top six.
Last year was a good reminder of how important depth is in the AHL. Because of all the injuries, Abbotsford often played with a very inexperienced lineup that featured a significant number of ECHL players. Adding a player like Fix-Wolansky adds an extra level of depth to the organization in case injuries hit again.
Bold Prediction: Fix-Wolansky finishes the season at a point-per-game in the AHL.
Mar 12, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Trey Fix-Wolansky (64) looks on against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 18: A general view of the betting odds on the video board at the Westgate SuperBook sports book on November 18, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s Sunday, why not take a look at some NHL team lines and chop it up?
Last summer when I did this exercise, it worked pretty well. Can’t do better than 5-0 (went under on Calgary, Utah, Florida; over on Buffalo and Detroit). Not shabby. Shame I didn’t actually make any of the bets but let’s try to take a look at it for this upcoming season. I grabbed this from an online sportsbook as of this week for the totals.
Some interesting numbers on the table, let’s start on the teams that I think can overshoot.
Boston 86.5 – The Bruins had 100 points last year. They’re a team that doesn’t make sense on paper, it doesn’t look like they should be particularly good but usually come through (unless their goalie has a protracted contract holdout and screws up the timing for the year, anyways). Boston is minimally changed from last season, having lost Viktor Arvidsson and Andrew Peake while adding JJ Peterka and Connor Clifton. I don’t even know if they’ll make the playoffs again, but in an 84-game season, I don’t see how they can’t get at least 87 points considering they’re usually strong in net, defensively and score a little more than you might expect (their 268 goals were 10th last season). Going with Swayman, MacAvoy and Pastrnak to coax out at least decent performance from their team seems like a good bet to make.
San Jose 93.5 – The Sharks finished with 86 points last year, so an improvement is already priced in for this year’s over/under. I think they’re ready to get there. It helps that a decent amount of their division (SEA, CGY, VAN) is pretty poor. Anaheim is basically the same, listed at 94.5, I like the Sharks’ goaltending and team better considering that Macklin Celebrini is emerging as such a great player that can elevate others. This is risky to bet on an ascending team that hasn’t done it with this core just yet, but SJ showed enough signs last year to believe they are heading back towards at least playoff contention.
Montreal 98.5 – Big numbers should be scary in over/unders, but this one isn’t big enough. The Habs had 106 points last year, and all of their best players are in the 20-27 age range that should be able to replicate what they did last year or play even better. They also have two young goalies that should be improving. Montreal is in a very competitive division but I don’t see this being a major sweat. Montreal ought to be staying towards the top of the standings for a while, I think they’re an easy 100+ point team this year.
Now, some numbers that aren’t adding up in the summer.
Florida 108.5 – There’s no doubting that Panthers should be back to very good this year. This good? They did have 110 points in 2023-24 and now have Aleksander Barkov healthy and Brady Tkachuk joining up. But 110+ points with Jakob Markstrom and Akira Schmid as the goalies? Can’t say I see that. It’s a tough call than it looks since this could easily be a 105ish point team and it only takes winning a couple extra games to hit the over (and again, with 84 games there’s more opportunities to get there) but gee, this number is a bit too high (only Carolina at 109.5 is higher).
Toronto 95.5 – There’s been so much roster turnover that it’s tough to get behind what to expect. Being a popular team with star power, a high number is understandable for the books to not want to give in too much. Sergei Bobrovsky is 38 and wasn’t that great last year in Florida. The Leafs have some offense but everything is so new from management to coaches to the goalie and as many as 10 new players that they’re tough to get a read on. Sometimes things don’t gel instantly and provide great results, so I guess I’ll lean to thinking an under-performance is on hand.
Vancouver 74.5 – Vancouver has the lowest number on the board, and I still don’t think it’s low enough. Their defense has like one good player left. Elias Pettersson has been in a funk to put it mildly. There’s rumors they might be selling off Brock Boeser next. They have a rookie NHL head coach and new GM. I think they’ll be an outlier on the low-end this year, mired in some pain as they look to the future, of which they don’t even have that much U-22 material expected at the NHL level this season to even give hope for the immediate term. The Canucks had an NHL low 58 points last year, and even if they do better it would have to be a massive improvement to hit the over. Just don’t see that happening based off the minimal changes to the roster of adding Brendan Gallagher (who looks spent and might just replace the 31 points from the departed Evander Kane), Jamie Oleksiak and Luke Schenn while trading Marcus Pettersson for a first round pick four drafts from now.
The wondefully-haired fan behind the winning 3rd-jersey design talks about his moment, and his late dad. [Isles | Newsday]
Ryan Pulock was a guest on the Tri-State Hockey Podcast. He gives a pretty thorough answer at the 36-minute mark about the changes he’s seen in his decade-plus with the organization. They also talk about “the save” vs. Tampa. [YouTube]
The Islanders named people to various strength and conditioning roles. [Isles | THN]
Elsewhere
Cale Makar and the Avalanche agreed to a record, monster deal, $20.4 million per year. [Sportsnet] That raises the bar for top player salaries. [NHL]
Yes the landscape has changed, but players like Macklin Celebrini are still taking “less” to allow cap space for other good players around them. [NHL | TSN]
Connor Hellebucyk’s agent said the quiet part out loud, publicizing a trade request that is a few months old. Here are eight potential landing spots. [Athletic]
Or maybe here are five potential spots. [Sportsnet]
Or hell, maybe here is just one, Buffalo. [Sportsnet]
Victor Hedman was “not [him]self” last season. [NHL]
We're counting down until the Detroit Red Wings begin the 2026-27 season, and with each passing day, we’ll be taking a look back at the best player in franchise history to wear that day’s jersey number.
The Top No. 34 In Red Wings History: Manny Legace
He didn't begin his NHL career with the Red Wings, nor did he finish it in Detroit. But during his time wearing the Winged Wheel, goaltender Manny Legace put together a notable stretch in the Motor City.
He ranks ninth overall in Red Wings history with 112 victories, and has his name on the Stanley Cup as part of the legendary 2001-02 squad.
Originally taken in the 1993 NHL Draft by the Hartford Whalers with the 188th overall pick, Legace would actually begin his career with the Los Angeles Kings in the 1998-99 campaign, appearing in 17 contests.
He'd sign with the Red Wings that summer, only to be exposed to waivers and scooped up by the Vancouver Canucks. But as fate would have it, Legace would once again be waived and subsequently reclaimed by the Red Wings.
It was in the 2000-01 season that Legace's NHL career took off. Because starter Chris Osgood struggled to start the year, Legace began earning trust from head coach Scotty Bowman and impressed with his play on the ice.
While Osgood eventually returned to form and started for Detroit in the 2001 playoffs, Legace's numbers were too good to ignore, going 24-5-5 with a pristine 2.05 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
Legace spent the next two seasons backing up Dominik Hasek and Curtis Joseph before finding himself caught between the two veterans in 2003-04. Hasek had returned from retirement after helping Detroit win the 2002 Stanley Cup, while Joseph still had two years remaining on his contract.
Legace handled the unusual situation as Detroit's No. 2 option behind both goaltenders, but Hasek's decision to step away again in early 2004 eventually left Joseph as the clear starter.
An injury to Joseph then opened the door for Legace, who took advantage of the opportunity and earned the starting job for Detroit's first-round playoff series against the Nashville Predators.
He started the first four games before Joseph reclaimed the crease for the remainder of the postseason.
Legace then beat out Osgood, who returned to Detroit prior to the 2005-06 campaign, for the starter's role to begin that season. He once again posted strong numbers in the regular season, going 37-8-3 and helping the Red Wings to the NHL's best record.
Legace struggled in Detroit's first-round series against the No. 8-seeded Edmonton Oilers, and the Red Wings ultimately suffered a stunning upset series defeat.
Legace had accurately predicted before the playoffs that his time in Detroit could be over if they didn't make a deep playoff run. The Red Wings opted not to re-sign him, and he subsequently joined the division-rival St. Louis Blues.
He'd play two and a half seasons with the Blues before being waived in February 2009 after he struggled in a game against the Red Wings. He'd eventually bounce around the minor leagues while also getting another 28 games of NHL experience with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2009-10.
He would complete his professional playing career with the AHL's Springfield Falcons in 2011-12, and would retire after having compiled an NHL record of 187-99-18 with a 2.41 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage, and 24 shutouts.
He's joined the Red Wings for multiple alumni events since then. After a stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets as goaltending coach, Legace currently works for the New Jersey Devils as their head amateur goaltending scout and development coach.
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Nine players throughout the San Jose Sharks' history have worn the number 33. Currently though, it belongs to backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, who is about to enter his second season as a member of the Sharks.
The 37th overall selection in the 2014 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, Nedeljkovic was a fairly highly-touted prospect early in his career. It took him quite a while to finally reach the NHL, but he made a major impact during the 2020-21 season, his final campaign in the Hurricanes organization, and earned himself consideration for the Calder Trophy alongside Kirill Kaprizov and Jason Robertson. Ultimately, Kaprizov took home the award, but Nedeljkovic seemed to be on a path to stardom.
While many bought into the hype around Nedeljkovic, the Hurricanes didn't and they traded him to the Detroit Red Wings. He struggled to regain his prior form in Detroit and seemed like a completely different goaltender. After just two seasons, the Red Wings opted to let Nedeljkovic leave the organization, and he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 2023-24 campaign.
While Nedeljkovic wasn't great during his first season in Pittsburgh, he was on par with the Penguins' other netminder, Tristan Jarry and as a result, he earned a two-year contract extension. After his play dropped even further during his second season in Pittsburgh, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks, where he remains today.
Despite disappointing counting stats during the 2025-26 season, Nedeljkovic was often more reliable than Yaroslav Askarov and as a result, Ryan Warsofsky showed quite a bit of trust in the veteran. The Parma, Ohio native earned himself another two-year contract with the Sharks and is set to start the 2026-27 season behind the aforementioned Askarov.
The New York Rangers ranked No. 7 in The Hockey News’ current series ranking of the offseasons of every NHL team.
It was a busy offseason for Chris Drury and company, as it all started on draft night when the Rangers acquired Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for the No. 26 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a third-round pick (No. 92) in the 2026 draft, and a conditional first-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.
The Rangers selected defenseman Alberts Šmits with the No. 5 overall pick, minutes after the Dorofeyev trade was completed.
Drury made two substantial trades on July 1. After months of speculation, the Rangers traded Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for Sean Durzi, forward prospect Cole Beaudoin, and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
On top of the Trocheck deal, the Rangers acquired Marcus Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a conditional first-round pick in the 2030 NHL Draft.
The Blueshirts also added Joonas Korpisalo, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Joe Veleno.
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a two-year contract with defenseman Kevin Korchinski.
Chicago announced the deal with the restricted free agent on Saturday. It carries a salary-cap hit of $1,325,000.
The 22-year-old Korchinski posted two assists in 13 games with the Blackhawks last season. He also had two goals and 24 assists in 53 games with Rockford of the American Hockey League.
Korchinski was selected by the Blackhawks with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 draft. He has six goals and 13 assists in 105 career NHL games.
The first draft pick that Kyle Davidson made as the full-time General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks was Kevin Korchinski, 7th overall in 2022. Since then, his development has had an up-and-down curve.
Before his NHL career started, Korchinski won a Gold Medal with Connor Bedard at the 2023 World Junior Championships. He has big-game experience, and that could come to help him down the line.
Korchinski played his entire rookie pro season in the NHL, where there were some good and bad moments. Over the last two years, however, he spent most of both seasons in the AHL. He was an All-Star both times, including the All-Star Game MVP in 2025.
He is still working on becoming a full-time NHL player again, which is becoming increasingly difficult with all of the young talent around him.
The Blackhawks clearly believe in him, however, as the restricted free agent locked down a two-year extension on Saturday. He is going to carry a cap hit of $1.325 million, starting in 2026-27, and that will go through the 2027-28 season.
If Korchinski wants to become an important NHL player rather than an above-average AHL player, he has two years to put it all together. If he blossoms into his full potential, this will be a great deal for Chicago over two years. At the same time, there isn't much risk if it doesn't work out.
Korchinski has a lot to prove, but the skills are there for him to do so. Now, he must take advantage of this opportunity to get better with an organization that has invested in his long-term success.
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It didn’t take long for San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini to be surpassed for the title of highest-paid player in the NHL. Roughly a month after Celebrini signed his massive contract extension, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche took over the title and changed the landscape of contracts in the NHL, especially for defensemen, as the first player to surpass the $20 million threshold.
On Friday, the Avalanche announced that they had signed Makar to an eight-year contract extension worth just over $163 million, which carries an average annual value of $20.4 million per season. Meanwhile, Celebrini signed his landmark five-year, $94 million contract, which carries an $18.8 million cap hit on July 29th.
Neither Makar nor Celebrini will have their new contract start until the 2027-28 season, which means there’s a chance they drop down the NHL’s highest-paid player rankings before their contracts even begin. A player like Quinn Hughes could now realistically demand the first maximum contract in NHL history, and given the Minnesota Wild’s approach to signing Kirill Kaprizov, it seems that he’d get it.
Sharks General Manager Mike Grier said that the Sharks would’ve given Celebrini a max deal if asked, but he was willing to take a pay cut to remain in the Bay Area and help the team win. While many on social media disregarded the idea that his $18.8 million cap hit was team-friendly, Makar’s new deal truly iterates the fact that Celebrini left money on the table to get business done this summer instead of waiting.
Erik Portillo has done just about everything the Los Angeles Kings could have asked of him at the AHL level.
The 25-year-old Swedish goaltender has steadily developed with the Ontario Reign, shown flashes of NHL-caliber ability, and put together a strong enough body of work to make the Kings believe he can eventually handle a bigger role.
But there’s a difference between being ready for an opportunity and having an opportunity available.
That’s the problem Portillo faces heading into the 2026-27 season.
The Kings already have two goaltenders with legitimate claims to the NHL crease. Darcy Kuemper is coming off a disappointing finish to last season and has plenty to prove as he looks to reestablish himself as Los Angeles’ No. 1. Meanwhile, Anton Forsberg arrived with experience and proceeded to play some of the best hockey of his career when the Kings needed him most.
Portillo may be knocking on the door, but someone has to open it.
The Kings Have A Goaltending Logjam
There’s no question Portillo has the physical tools to play in the NHL.
At 6-foot-6, he has the size teams traditionally covet in a goaltender, and his development with the Reign has given the Kings plenty of reason to remain intrigued. He also has one NHL appearance under his belt, stopping 28 of 29 shots in a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 29, 2024.
That performance showed he wasn’t overwhelmed by the moment.
But one strong NHL appearance doesn’t mean the Kings should simply hand him a roster spot.
That would be especially difficult to justify given what the organization already has in front of him.
Kuemper, a former Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche, is entering the final year of his contract and has every reason to come into camp determined to reclaim the starting job. His 2025-26 season ended on a sour note, and there will be plenty of motivation for the veteran goaltender to prove that the struggles late in the year were an aberration rather than a sign of what’s to come.
Then there’s Forsberg.
The veteran goaltender wasn’t merely a placeholder last season. He stepped into a much larger role and played extremely well, posting a .910 save percentage and a 2.54 goals-against average during the regular season. More importantly, when the Kings reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Forsberg was trusted to start all four games of their first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche.
Los Angeles ultimately got swept, but it’s difficult to pin that result on its goaltender.
Forsberg gave the Kings a chance.
That matters.
Portillo Will Have To Earn It
This is where Portillo’s situation gets interesting.
It isn’t about whether he is talented enough to become an NHL goaltender. He very well might be. It’s about whether he can force the Kings to make a difficult decision.
That starts in training camp.
Portillo probably needs to be outstanding. Not just good. Not just solid. He needs to make the organization seriously consider whether keeping him in the AHL is still the best option.
And even then, it might not be enough.
The reality is that Portillo may need some help from circumstances beyond his control.
An injury to Kuemper or Forsberg would immediately create an opening. A significant decline from either goaltender could do the same. If one of the veterans struggles badly enough, Portillo could suddenly become a much more realistic option.
That’s not necessarily a knock on Portillo. It’s simply the nature of the position.
Goaltending depth is one of those things every NHL team wants to have until it suddenly needs it.
The Kings have that depth right now.
His Chance Is Coming
Portillo shouldn’t be discouraged by the current situation.
If anything, he’s in a position where patience could pay off.
He has already established himself as a legitimate prospect within the organization, and another strong season with Ontario would only strengthen his case. The Kings also know that NHL seasons rarely go according to plan, particularly when it comes to goaltenders.
Injuries happen. Performance fluctuates. Players lose their jobs.
Eventually, something will create an opening.
When that happens, Portillo needs to be ready.
The temptation would be to look at his size, his AHL numbers and his previous NHL appearance and conclude that he should simply be handed the backup role. But that isn’t how this should work.
Portillo has to earn it.
And the good news for him is that he has plenty of time to do exactly that.
The Kings don’t need to rush him into the NHL just because he appears close. They can allow him to continue developing, keep pressure on him to perform, and wait for the right opportunity.
If Portillo plays out of his mind in camp, perhaps he forces the issue.
If Kuemper struggles or gets hurt, perhaps the door opens.
If Forsberg can’t replicate last season’s success, perhaps another opportunity appears.
But if Kuemper returns to form and Forsberg continues playing like the goaltender Los Angeles saw last season, Portillo may simply have to wait.
That doesn’t mean he isn’t ready.
It means the Kings have two goaltenders in front of him who have earned the right to be there.
And eventually, Portillo will get his chance.
When he does, he’ll have to make sure the Kings have no reason to send him back.
