Pittsburgh Penguins forward Philip Tomasino is heading into another contract year for the 2025-26 season. He had a year left on his contract going into the 2024-25 season before he was dealt to the Penguins by the Nashville Predators last November for a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. 

Tomasino only had one assist in 11 games for the Predators before compiling 11 goals and 23 points in 50 games for the Penguins. He played up and down the lineup during the season and would have some good stretches mixed with some bad ones. 

He burst onto the scene right away with four points in his first five games, three of which were goals, before going pointless for his next six games. This inconsistency would continue for the rest of the season despite Tomasino getting a lot of minutes with second-line center Evgeni Malkin. The two played 250:33 of 5v5 minutes this year, and the numbers were a mixed bag. When they were on the ice together, they had a 48.2% CF%, 48.2% of the expected goals, 50.8% of the scoring chances, and 50.4% of the high-danger chances. 

Tomasino enjoys playing with Malkin, as evidenced by their good moments early in his first season with the Penguins. 

"I think we just complement each other really well," Tomasino said

Head coach Dan Muse may look to give them more minutes together, but Tomasino will have to earn those minutes since the top six looks really strong on paper right now. The Penguins still haven't dealt forwards Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, and there's no guarantee that they will before the season. 

With them still in the fold, they will take up two of the top-six spots, as will Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The other two spots will be up for grabs and will have a lot of players jockeying for them, including Tomasino, Anthony Mantha, Tommy Novak, Rutger McGroarty, and Ville Koivunen. McGroarty and Koivunen looked great in their short stints to end the 2024-25 season after being called up from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. They got to spend time with Crosby and Malkin and looked ready to be full-time NHLers. 

If Tomasino loses out on a top-six spot to start the season, he could still secure a third-line role with Novak if Muse and Co. are successful. Novak and Tomasino are familiar with each other from their time in Nashville, and they looked solid when they were on the same line together, albeit for a small sample. They only played 67:50 at 5v5 during the 2023-24 season, but they made those minutes count, compiling 54.7% of the expected goals, 62.6% of the scoring chances, 64% of the high-danger chances, and a 55.7% CF% rate. 

Three of Tomasino's goals came on the power play last year, and he'll be a solid contender to be on the second PP unit again next season. His release is good enough to be utilized anywhere in the offensive zone, and he has a knack for scoring goals in big situations. For example, he had six game-winning goals last year, which was good for second on the Penguins. Only Crosby was ahead of Tomasino with 10 game-winning goals, which made sense because Crosby was the Penguins' best player last year. He finished the season with 33 goals and 91 points in 80 games. It was his third-straight 90+-point season despite being well into his 30s. 

Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2025: Oft-Forgotten Part Of Jake Guentzel Trade Has IntrigueHeading into the 2025-26 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have shifted the focus to youth and development.

The 2025-26 season will be another contract year for Tomasino after the Penguins re-signed him to a one-year, $1.75 million contract on July 1. He was originally a restricted free agent before the Penguins didn't give him a qualifying offer, allowing him to test free agency. Despite becoming an unrestricted free agent, he still decided to return to the Penguins, along with fellow forward Connor Dewar, who also wasn't given a qualifying offer by the Penguins. He signed a one-year, $1.1 million deal with the Penguins on the same day as Tomasino. 

Tomasino is slated to be a restricted free agent again after this upcoming season, so the Penguins will control his rights into next summer unless they don't qualify him again. If he's more consistent this year, the Penguins may try to sign him for longer than a year since he's still only 24. The Penguins want young players like him to take the next step at the NHL level. He'll cost a bit more, but that won't be a problem for the Penguins since they will have over $40 million of cap space next summer. They won't spend all of it since they are still rebuilding, but they'll spend enough. It won't be a situation where the Penguins have to worry about barely getting above the cap floor.

With all of that in mind, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas will be keeping a close eye on Tomasino this year. 

---

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Still The Best After All These Years - November 16, 2009 - Volume 63, Issue 09 - KC 

BEST NOT TELL THE BIG BOSS about this. After all, it might affect Nicklas Lidstrom’s future with the Red Wings.

Sure, Lidstrom has been a standout for 18 seasons now, was an integral contributor to four Stanley Cups and has become one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history.

Little known fact, though: Lidstrom is a rebel. For example, two of his four boys, Adam and Samuel, play minor hockey in the Detroit Compuware AAA organization. In case you weren’t aware, Compuware is owned by Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos and is a huge rival of Wings owner Mike Illitch’s Little Caesars AAA organization.

Just so you know, Illitch and Karmanos aren’t exactly a modern-day version of Amos ’n Andy.

“I don’t even know if (Illitch) knows about it,” said Lidstrom, justifying his insubordination by explaining Compuware’s rink is about 10 minutes from his house.

Chances are, Illitch would probably be willing to overlook Lidstrom’s miscreance in return for a couple more seasons of work. Despite the fact Lidstrom turns 40 in April, there has been almost no drop-off in his performance level, as evidenced by the fact our panel identified him as having the best point shot, best first pass and being the top shut-down defenseman in the NHL, not to mention the best mentor.

There have been precious few players who have played at the elite level Lidstrom has at such an advanced age. Gordie Howe scored 103 points when he was 41 and Jean Beliveau was a point-per-game player while leading the league in playoff assists when he was 40. Doug Harvey won his last Norris Trophy at 37 and Chris Chelios was a runner-up for the Norris when he was 40.

Red Wings GM Ken Holland thinks Lidstrom could play another five seasons and chances are he’ll play at least a couple more in Detroit before hanging them up.

“I don’t think we’re going to wake up one day and say, ‘Holy cripes, what happened to this guy?’ ” Holland said.

Do a YouTube search of “Nicklas Lidstrom’s 1,000th point,” and you’ll see precisely why he’s considered the NHL’s best point man. He takes a half slapshot through a maze of skates, which hits Henrik Zetterberg’s stick and deflects to the top corner.

“THERE IS NO PRESSURE POINT WITH NICKLAS LIDSTROM”

“That really nails it,” Lidstrom said. “I kept my head up and I couldn’t get it on net, so I’m looking for Zetterberg’s stick. That’s the typical play I try to make.”

Lidstrom’s shot from the point isn’t about to blow by anybody. More than anything, it sneaks its way to where it wants to go.

The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the best 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

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Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

#33 - Melvin Novotny - LW (Leksands IF Jr. - Sweden)

The Sabres had a trio of seventh-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, and with the first pick (195th overall) they selected left winger Melvin Novotny. The 18-year-old had a breakout season in the SHL junior system, scoring 38 points (12 goals, 26 assists) in 41 games for Leksands IF, and also played for Sweden at the World Junior under-18s. 

According to the Elite Prospects Draft Guide, the 6’1”. 187 lb. forward is considered a smart player, who is “a chess player that uses his teammates as his pawns, throwing them pucks to retrieve while himself moving into favourable positions in the offensive zone…..He’s not the most physical player overall, but has a knack of spinning away from checks and using contact as an advantage.”

Instead of following the usual path toward playing in the SHL, Novotny is heading to North America to play with Muskegon in the USHL and is committed to playing for U.Mass (Amherst) in 2026. 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

The Carolina Hurricanes made two substantial moves this offseason to bolster their roster in pursuit of a Stanley Cup. 

The most highly coveted unrestricted free agent this offseason was arguably Nikolaj Ehlers. 

After most of the top free agents had already signed with their new respective teams, Ehlers was still pondering his next move. 

Ultimately, the Hurricanes won the sweepstakes for Ehlers as he signed a six-year, $51 million contract.

Carolina also took a big swing at defenseman K’Andre Miller, who has the potential to be a reliable blueliner for years to come, but he’s just yet to fully put all of the tools together. 

The Hurricanes acquired Miller in a sign-and-trade from the New York Rangers, and quickly signed him to an eight-year, $60 million contract.

Rod Brind'Amour feels that these two moves put the Hurricanes over the top. 

“If there's something out there that can make us better, we're going to try to figure out how to get it,” Brind'Amour said. “The additions were the best we could do. We just want to have a chance. I feel like we do.”

There Are Reportedly Over Five Teams Interested In Signing Jack Roslovic, Including The Maple LeafsTraining camps around the NHL are set to begin in just over a month, and Carolina Hurricanes forward Jack Roslovic remains unsigned. 

The Hurricanes have been a top contender in the Eastern Conference for years, but have never seemed to be able to get over the hump. 

We’ll have to see if Ehlers and Miller are able to change that.

The Buffalo Sabres' schedule has been out for a while now, but here at THN.com's Sabres site, we've been breaking down each Sabres opponent next season. And in this file, we're examining one of the NHL's best regular-season teams -- at the end of last season, at least -- the St. Louis Blues.

Last year, Buffalo won both games against St. Louis, but the Sabres avoided the Blues in the second half of the year, when they were an entirely different team. Buffalo and St. Louis will play relatively early this time around -- and will that make a difference in the bottom line between these two teams? Time will tell.

However, in the meantime, you can make your voice heard by leaving a comment below. And feel free to register as a community member on THN.com. Your voice is unique, and we want to hear it.

Former Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki was a guest on the Sens Nation Podcast this week, the official podcast of The Hockey News Ottawa, and shared some candid thoughts about fighting in today’s NHL.

During his NHL career with the Senators and the Nashville Predators, “Boro” never shied away from dropping the gloves, often taking on some of the game’s toughest heavyweights. Borowiecki played 458 regular-season NHL games, recording 15 goals, 56 points, and 848 penalty minutes. Known for his fearless, physical style and a strong work ethic, he was a fan favourite in Ottawa.

In my wide-ranging conversation with him this week, we covered a number of topics, including a recent Predators development camp where a Nashville reporter posted on-ice video of Borowiecki, now a development coach, demonstrating fighting tactics to young prospects.

Borowiecki explained that fighting advice is a very small part of the job, and with three children under five, his perspective on fighting in hockey has changed.

“I look at it from a different lens now, which maybe is wrong of me,” Borowiecki said. “For me, it was a way to survive in the league and make a name for myself. If I was coaching my son, I’d be focused on competing, playing hard, playing with some passion and emotion — and whatever results, results.

"I’m not going to encourage him to go fight. Maybe that’s your answer there. If that’s the way I’m going to approach it with my son, I’m not going to push other kids to. I don’t really have much desire to see 17-year-old kids hitting each other. It doesn’t do it for me in the junior level.

“Again, I want to see guys go out there and compete, play with passion, play with some aggressiveness, embrace the contact, embrace the confrontation — and whatever results, results. From a coaching standpoint, for me, it’s play hard, play extremely hard defensively, play hard offensively. Have that puck, be a pain in the butt to contain, to check, to cover. You know what? Sometimes when you play that relentless, high-energy style, things are (still) going to happen.”

Borowiecki also reflected on his transition to coaching, the evolution of fighting in hockey, and the challenges faced by today’s young players. He shared insights on the Senators’ push to return to the playoffs, praised the leadership of former teammate Brady Tkachuk, and offered thoughts on the coaching styles of Guy Boucher and D.J. Smith.

He also discussed his post-career health and answered some lighthearted hockey questions, showing the same honesty and personality that made him such a respected player in Ottawa.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

This article originally appeared on The Hockey News website: 
More Sens Articles:

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Next NHL Expansion Fee May Be 40 Times More Than The Ottawa Senators Paid
The Ottawa Senators' 2025-26 Lineup Is Probably Already Set
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Mark Stone Jokes That It Wasn't Always Easy Playing On Brady Tkachuk's Line
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The Buffalo Sabres are facing enormous pressure to end their 14-year Stanley Cup playoff drought next season, and it's not hyperbole to say that the Sabres can't afford so much as a single off-night if they're going to be a playoff team. Every game really counts, and Buffalo needs to beat many above-average squads if they're going to earn a playoff berth in the highly-competitive Atlantic Division.

As such, the Sabres will be worth watching every game, because every game matters. And so we're examining each of Buffalo's opponents next year -- who each team has added, when they'll square off this year, and other relevant info -- and we're now well into the Central Division, witht the St. Louis Blues. The Blues are a strong team that didn't play well against Buffalo last year, but with some notable changes, that could change in the Blues' favor this time around. So let's get down to business, and break down the Sabres/Blues rivalry.

BUFFALO SABRES VS. ST. LOUIS BLUES

NEW BLUES PLAYERS: Pius Suter, C, Nick Bjugstad, C; Logan Mailloux, D

2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 2-0-0, Blues 0-1-1

2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER:  November 6 at Buffalo; December 29 at St. Louis

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM?  There's a neat sense of deja vu when it comes to the Sabres and Blues playing each other this year and last year. On Dec. 29, 2024, Buffalo played St. Louis in St. Louis for their final game against each other. And on Dec. 29, 2025, the Sabres will be playing the host Blues. for their final game of next season. You don't see that every year.

In any case, the Blues came on strong late in the season last year to earn a Western Conference wild card playoff berth, but when they did get to the post-season, the Blues blew a late lead and lost Game 7 to the Winnipeg Jets, ending St. Louis' season in the first round. For as great a story as they were on that late-season run, the Blues showed their deficiencies in falling to the Jets.

So, armed with as much salary cap space as he could muster, Blues GM Doug Armstrong set out to bolster his lineup this summer. And he did just that, strengthening St. Louis down the middle, and giving an opportunity to a young defenseman he acquired at a fairly high price.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Central Edition: Will Buffalo Sweep Series Vs. Sub-Par Nashville Predators Next Season?The NHL's 2025-26 schedule has been out for a while now, and THN.com's Buffalo Sabres site has been analyzing every team the Sabres will take on next season. We've worked our way through the Eastern Conference teams, and we're currently focusing on the Central Division teams. And in today's file, we're turning our attention to the Nashville Predators.

At center, Armstrong added two veterans -- first and foremost, former Vancouver Canuck Pius Suter, and then, journeyman Nick Bjugstad. Both players combined cost Armstrong $5.875-million -- not bad at all, especially given how this year's market for centers was a seller's market.

Elsewhere, Armstrong added 22-year-old defenseman Logan Mailloux in a trade with Montreal that sent 22-year-old winger Zac Bolduc to the Canadiens. Mailloux will start the season on the Blues' third defense pair, but he has the chance to work his way up the depth chart by quickly adapting to the NHL level.

So, the Blues team the Sabres will face this year is going to be much tougher than the one Buffalo faced in December of last year. Indeed, while the Sabres handled their business against St. Louis last year, the Blues were a tale of two teams -- one that was inconsistent early in the year, and the other was a legitimate powerhouse that bulldozed its way into the playoffs. The Sabres managed to avoid that powerhouse Blues team, and this time around, they won't be so fortunate.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Central Edition: Will Superstar Kaprizov And Minnesota Wild Roll Over Sabres?The NHL's 2025-26 season is nearly here, and here at THN.com's Sabres site, we've been examining every one of the Buffalo Sabres' opponents next year. Earlier, we looked at the Atlantic Division's seven teams, followed by the Metropolitan Division's eight teams, and now, we're four teams deep in the highly-competitive Central Division. 

What we're ultimately saying here is that Buffalo will have a tall task trying to win both games against St. Louis next season. It's not out of the question that the Sabres can beat the Blues twice -- and to be sure, that's exactly what Buffalo should be aiming to do -- but if this St. Louis team is properly motivated, they're a handful for every NHL team, the Sabres included.

The Blues' many veterans won't forget that Buffalo beat them twice last year, and they'll want to avenge their losses to the Sabres. For that reason, St. Louis should expect to bounce back against Buffalo, and the Sabres need to prepare for a much tougher battle against the Blues next season.

As is normal, the Toronto Maple Leafs are a topic of discussion right now – specifically, when it comes to potential trades the Maple Leafs might be involved in. However, from this writer’s perspective, the Leafs can’t afford to throw in their remaining top young prospects in any trade. They’ve already mortgaged the future in recent years by parting ways with youngsters in their system, and they’re nearly completely bereft of high-end up-and-coming talent. And if that means they don’t go out and get a veteran like Calgary’s Nazem Kadri, so be it.

Indeed, the Leafs have said goodbye to many prospects of late: center Fraser Minten was dealt to the Boston Bruins for defenseman Brandon Carlo last season, and winger Nikita Grebenkin was shipped to Philadelphia for center Scott Laughton. While neither Minten nor Grebenkin will be all-stars anytime soon, they were valuable components of Toronto’s future.

And now, whether it’s OHL star winger Easton Cowan, defenseman Ben Danford or center Tyler Hopkins, the Leafs need to say “no” to including their top prospects in any deal. And that goes no matter what short-term fix we’re talking about for Toronto. Sure, you can probably get a few years out of 33-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins winger Bryan Rust or 32-year-old Penguins forward Rickard Rakell, but is that worth losing out on a decade-and-a-half of a crafty performer like Cowan? We don’t think so.

Similarly, the Flames are going to want an arm and a leg for Kadri, who we still see as a good fit for Toronto. But Leafs GM Brad Treliving has to keep in mind the long-term good of the franchise, and that means holding hard to at least a handful of talents their scouting department has hit home runs with.

That’s certainly the case with Cowan, who may not be the next coming of former Leaf Mitch Marner, but who nonetheless has more skill than most Leafs prospects, if not all Leafs prospects. Trading him should be a non-starter for Leafs management. Because before you know it, Toronto will be at the end of its competitive cycle, and at that point, Leafs fans will be crying out in agony if the Leafs’ cupboard is basically bare.

Thus, there has to be some restraint on Treliving’s behalf when it comes to trading away prospects. The Maple Leafs are indeed built to win now, but it doesn’t make sense to knowingly abandon Toronto’s chances of staying competitive regardless of where they are in any particular season. Treliving has to draw a line somewhere, and we’re at that point where the line has to be drawn.

The Leafs are almost assuredly going to be a playoff team next season. But giving away everything in their prospect drawer just isn’t good management. There needs to be at least a few solid young players in Toronto’s system – and that can’t happen just to acquire the veteran-of-the-moment.

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Welcome back to another Vancouver Canucks 2025–26 season series preview. In this article series, The Hockey News - Canucks site previews Vancouver’s team series matchups for the season in chronological order. Last time, we looked at what the Canucks will face in the Washington Capitals. Today, let’s preview their season matchups against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  

2024–25 Season Stats 

Team Stats: 

Record: 34–36–12

Points: 80

Standings placement: 7th in Metropolitan Division

PP%: 25.8% (6th) 

PK%: 77.8% (18th) 

Goals: 

Rickard Rakell (35)

Sidney Crosby (33)

Bryan Rust (31)

Evgeni Malkin (16)

Kevin Hayes (13)

Assists: 

Sidney Crosby (58)

Erik Karlsson (42)

Rickard Rakell (35)

Evgeni Malkin / Bryan Rust (34)

Kris Letang (21)

Points: 

Sidney Crosby (91)

Rickard Rakell (70)

Bryan Rust (65)

Erik Karlsson (53)

Evgeni Malkin (50)

Goaltenders: 

Tristan Jarry

Record: 16–12–6

GAA: 3.12

SV%: .893

SO: 2

Points: 1A 

Joel Blomqvist

Record: 4–9–1

GAA: 3.81

SV%: .885

SO: N/A

Points: N/A

Artūrs Šilovs

Record: 2–6–1

GAA: 3.65

SV%: .861

SO: N/A

Points: N/A

2025 Free Agency Rundown 

The Penguins are in a curious position as a team, as they still have members of their Stanley Cup runs of the 2010s but don’t look to be contenders anytime soon. Canadian icon Crosby has expressed his desire to stay in Pittsburgh, and as a result, veteran players such as Letang and Malkin have been kept by the organization. Even so, the Penguins haven’t made the playoffs since 2022, and their free agency moves seem to indicate that this will continue to be the case. They signed forward Connor Dewar, Caleb Jones, and Anthony Mantha, as well as acquired Calder Cup Playoff MVP Šilovs in exchange for prospect Chase Stillman. 

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:

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Vancouver Canucks 2025–26 Season Series Preview: Washington Capitals

2025–26 Season Series Preview

As mentioned, the Penguins are one of those teams who are currently leaning towards the draft pick category rather than the playoffs. If not for the presences of Crosby, Malkin, Letang, and Rust, it wouldn’t be surprising if Pittsburgh was in the bottom pool of the league where the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks are likely to be. One thing that makes Pittsburgh a bit less competitive is their question mark in the crease. Jarry will likely do the heavy lifting as a starter, which comes as a result of the team parting ways with Alex Nedeljkovic. While the Penguins do have options in Blomqvist and Šilovs, it’s undetermined whether either is ready for a full-time backup role in the NHL. 

Vancouver faces off against the Penguins for the first time this season on October 21, with the Canucks visiting Pittsburgh for a 4:00pm PT matchup. Pittsburgh is one of the potentially easier opponents they will face on this road trip, as Vancouver will also take on the Dallas Stars and the Capitals during this stretch. Their next matchup isn’t until January 25 back in Vancouver.  

2025–26 Games Against Vancouver

Game 1: October 21, 4:00pm PT @ PPG Paints Arena 

Game 2: January 25, 3:00pm PT @ Rogers Arena 

Season Series Preview Articles  

Washington Capitals

Chicago Blackhawks

Dallas Stars

St. Louis Blues

Edmonton Oilers

Calgary Flames

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News. 

How Jamie Drysdale plays in the 2025-26 season will, for better or worse, alter the path of this rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers team.

Drysdale, 23, was drafted sixth overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2020 NHL Draft with the expectation that the Erie Otters would eventually blossom into a franchise defenseman.

After all, Drysdale was blessed with elite skating ability, and his strong (relative) hockey IQ allowed him to use that skating to his advantage to dominate the junior ranks.

At the NHL level, though, there's been little to write home about so far.

Traded to the Flyers alongside a second-round pick (Jack Murtagh) for Cutter Gauthier in Jan. 2024, Drysdale has played more than 34 games in an NHL season just twice since 2020-21.

In his only two full seasons, the 23-year-old has finished the year with plus-minus ratings of -26 and -32, respectively. Excelling defensively has, unfortunately, proven to be as great a challenge as staying on the ice for the young Drysdale.

His -32 rating last season was the seventh-worst in the NHL, ahead of only Steven Stamkos, Connor Bedard, Barclay Goodrow, Rasmus Andersson, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Mason Lohrei.

For reference, the closest Flyers player was Matvei Michkov at -18, and the closest defenseman was Egor Zamula at -14.

One Flyers Prospect Nobody Is Talking About Ahead of 2025-26 SeasonThe Philadelphia Flyers have quite a few roster spots ready to be filled by up-and-coming prospects next season, but there's one prospect who should be talked about much more.

And, for the sake of further comparison, a rookie defenseman like Emil Andrae finished with a -5 in 42 games, even with all the struggles he endured towards the end of his time in the NHL last season.

If Drysdale continues to struggle to this degree defensively, his career-high 32 points, as a watermark reference, won't be good enough to erase those crucial deficiencies.

There's hope, though, starting with an improved power play.

Drysdale played 152 minutes on the power play for the Flyers last season; Rasmus Ristolainen, Travis Sanheim, and Andrae each played between 54 and 65 minutes, comparatively.

In those 152 minutes, Drysdale was second to Ristolainen in on-ice shot attempts for per 60 minutes (84.87 for Drysdale, 93.71 for Ristolainen), and narrowly led all Flyers defensemen in expected goals for per 60 minutes  (6.57 expected goals to Sanheim's 6.47), per Natural Stat Trick.

The key is that Drysdale is far younger than both Ristolainen and Sanheim and a much more fluid skater.

It should be noted that, in all scenarios, Drysdale finished the 2024-25 season with just 63 shots on goal in 70 games, despite scoring 7 times (11.1% shooting percentage).

To become the most effective proprietor of offense he can be, the former No. 6 pick must become more aggressive and decisive and continue to work at getting pucks through traffic if he isn't using his legs to create for himself as he should be.

Drysdale, like Cam York and Andrae, tends to defer. A more aggressive approach and an improved shot would do wonders for his offensive production.

Away from the power play is where Drysdale must improve the most, however.

According to Natural Stat Trick, Drysdale allowed 2.52 expected goals per 60 minutes. For comparison, Luke Hughes (2.53), and Roman Josi (2.54) were in that same neighborhood.

The difference is that Drysdale was on the ice for 54.81 shot attempts per 60 minutes and 63.77 shot attempts against per 60 minutes.

For Hughes, it was 60.51 shots per 60 and 54.06 shots against per 60, and for Josi, it was 68.22 shots per 60 and 56.15 shots against per 60.

Hughes is no finished product, either, but for Drysdale to even reach that level, he must improve as a shot-suppressor and as a shot-creator.

Philadelphia Flyers Must Avoid This Trevor Zegras MistakeIf the Philadelphia Flyers are hoping to get the absolute most out of important trade acquisition Trevor Zegras, they need to avoid the mistake the Anaheim Ducks made in each of the last two years before dealing him away.

Some responsibility falls on the Flyers' forwards, too, but the fact that Drysdale's plus-minus was so much worse than every other Flyers defender is enough to rule out coincidences and bad luck.

Looking ahead to the 2025-26 season, Drysdale will have, for better or worse, another fresh start under new head coach Rick Tocchet and his assistant, Todd Reirden.

Before their new Flyers venture, Tocchet and Reirden had names like Jakob Chychrun, John Carlson, Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin, Marcus Pettersson, John Marino, and Jamie Oleksiak on their resumes.

And, while Tocchet has never directly been involved with coaching defensemen, he ran the power play in Pittsburgh for two Stanley Cup wins.

In Tocchet's two full seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, captain Quinn Hughes erupted for 92 points in 82 games and a Norris Trophy in 2023-24, then followed that up with 76 points in 68 games in an injury-marred 2024-25.

Before Tocchet arrived, Hughes's career-high in points was 68.

Now-departed associate coach Brad Shaw was regarded as a defensive savant during his time in Philadelphia, but I'd be remiss to not note that Sanheim, York, and Drysdale all stalled out or took backward steps last season.

We can't reasonably expect Drysdale to turn into a Hughes brother, Chychrun, or Letang overnight, but there's still hope for further development.

With one year remaining on his contract at a $2.3 million cap hit, the onus is on Drysdale to cement himself in the Flyers' future, or management will be right back to square one on defense.

Is it October yet? 

Unfortunately, no, but we're here to help pass the time. From Aug. 8 to Sept. 1, The Hockey News Nashville Predators will be counting down 24 players in 24 days, profiling every current or potentially rostered player. 

Today's player profile is defenseman Andreas Englund.

24 Nashville Predators in 24 days series 

Adam Wilsby

Jordan Oesterle

As an NHL prospect 

Originally from Stockholm, Sweden, Englund played his junior hockey with Djurgårdens IF in J20 Nationell and moved up to HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden's second-highest hockey league, later that year.

In his draft year, 2014, he played 33 games in the J20 league, scoring 10 points in 33 games and in HockeyAllsvenskan, he scored two points in 19 games.

Enguland was selected 40th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2014 draft, but remained in Sweden for two more seasons. For the 2014-15 campaign, he moved up to the SHL, Sweden's top hockey league, scoring five points in 49 games. The following season, he had six points in 46 games. 

Professional career 

To start the 2016-17 season, Englund split time between the Ottawa and Binghamton Senators. He played 69 games in the AHL, scoring 10 points and logging 82 penalty minutes. It was a relatively uneventful season in the NHL, marked by just five games and no points scored. 

The following season, Binghmaton moved to Belleville, Ontario, and Englund would split time between there and Ottawa from 2017 to 2020. His best season in the AHL, in that stretch, was during the 2018-19 campaign, where he played 68 games, scoring 14 points and logging 77 penalty minutes. 

Englund's best season with the Senators was 2019-20, where he played 24 games and had three points. 

Englund's contract expired in 2020, and due to the delayed start of the 2020-21 season, Englund signed to play a season with Västerviks IK in Sweden; however never played a game due to injury. 

Eventually, Englund would sign as a free agent with the Colorado Avalanche to start the 2021-22 season. He'd played the entirety of that season with the Colorado Eagles, logging a career high 103 penalty minutes in 57 games and 12 points. 

During the 2022-23 season, Englund split time between the Avalanche and Eagles, playing a career high 36 games in the NHL, recording three points. 

He was traded midway through the season to the Chicago Blackhawks and played 11 games, recording a point.

His time in Chicago was short-lived as he signed as a free agent in the 2023-24 offseason with the Los Angeles Kings. 

Englund spent a season and a half with the Kings, playing in 93 games, scoring 11 points and logging 93 penalty minutes. The 2023-24 season was the first time in his career Enguland had played a full NHL season. 

In the final year of a two-year contract with the Kings, Englund struggled and was placed on waivers. In February, the Predators claimed him. Nashville offered Englund a 1-year, $775,000 contract. 

What role will he play this season? 

In a little under a month last season, the Predators claimed four players off of waivers, Englund was one of them. 

Nashville needed a defenseman, and Englund is a veteran player who was available to be picked up. However, he has not done much to add depth to the defense, other than fighting. He had 36 penalty minutes in the 24 games he played at the end of last season. 

Similar to Jordan Oesterle, Englund is going to be battling for minutes on the Predators' third pairing, or be the seventh player. 

The Predators have seemingly "fixed" the defense by adding Nic Hague and Nick Perbix, but if that doesn't work out, expect Englund to be thrown back into the rotation. 

Overall, the Predators need their defense to start contributing, and Englund has never been that. He hasn't had more than 14 points in a season between playing in the NHL and AHL. 

If the Predators are looking for an "enforcer," Englund would fill out that role, but right now, the Predators have too many defensemen who aren't doing enough. 

The Montreal Canadiens are one of the NHL's most intriguing teams, as they have several promising young players who have the potential to become big parts of their future. However, they also have some veterans on their roster to watch in 2025-26, and forward Brendan Gallagher is certainly one of them.

While Gallagher's role has changed in recent years with the Canadiens, he is still an important part of the club's roster due to his leadership. With the Canadiens looking to continue to trend in the right direction, having Gallagher around as a mentor for their several youngsters is undoubtedly a good thing. 

Gallagher also showed this past season with the Canadiens that he is still capable of providing decent secondary scoring at this point of his career. In 82 games with the Habs during the 2024-25 season, the veteran winger recorded 21 goals, 17 assists, and 38 points. He also made an impact with his physicality, as he finished the year 92 hits. 

The Canadiens will now be hoping for Gallagher to continue to give them solid depth offensive production, leadership, and grit during this upcoming season. He makes the Canadiens a more difficult team to go up against when he's playing at his best, and it will be fascinating to see what kind of year he can put together for the Habs in 2025-26 from here. 

Canadiens Defenseman Is Interesting Breakout CandidateEarlier this off-season, the Montreal Canadiens re-signed defenseman Jayden Struble to a two-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $1.4125 million. Getting this deal done with Struble was important for the Canadiens, as he is among their most promising young defensemen.