Category: Ice Hockey

ST. LOUIS -- It was nearly two years ago when Lukas Fischer was given an honor not bestowed upon many in sport.

The 19-year-old was named the captain of the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League, a franchise used to playoff experiences, one where it's produced a fair amount of NHL talent.

But this was different. In uncharacteristic fashion, the Sting had taken a turn on the downside, missing the playoffs now for a franchise-record three straight seasons. Since reaching the conference final in 2023, the Sting has simply not been good.

"I think it came with a lot of learning too," the second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft of the St. Louis Blues said at the team's development camp. "I think that was something I had to learn how to man emotions, dealing when you're going through a slump and stuff like that. It was good, right? But I was fortunate too. We had a good locker room in the two years I was captain at Sarnia. We had a great locker room. It didn't all fall on me. I had a great support system, great coaches and great teammates. It came with a lot of learning and I wore with pride."

No matter what the support system offers, Fischer was the guy wearing the 'C.' And even though the support was great, you're the one that will hear about it more so than anyone. You're the quote-unquote de facto leader. And although there came great responsibility and challenges Fischer had to face, the best thing to happen to his career was being traded last season.

Sarnia was going nowhere, and the defenseman, who had 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) in 26 games with the Sting last season and 99 points (27 goals, 62 assists) in 192 regular-season games spanning three-plus seasons there, was moved to Sault Ste. Marie on Dec. 8, 2025 for a prospect and five picks.

And even though Fischer, who will most likely be playing at Springfield of the American Hockey League this season, was leaving teammates, friends and a support staff that he had grown fond of, this was the best course of action for his career; he got to experience playoff hockey again with the Greyhounds and had six points (one goal, five assists) in 10 games.

Fischer had 26 points (five goals, 21 assists) in 39 regular-season games for the Soo.

"I think it was, yeah," the son of former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer said of being traded. "I think everything happens for a reason. I had a great three years and change in Sarnia and going to the Soo was a great opportunity for me. I got to play with Chase Reid; he was a great D-partner, he was a great friend. We had a great group that had a ton of fun. I haven't been a part of a real winning team in a while. It was a great experience and a good opportunity."

The 6-foot-3, 177-pound left-handed shot always had the strong-skating ability with reliable defensive capabilities, but he's developed the knack of having that upside offensively in joining the rush and being a power play quarterback.

"I think for me, the biggest thing, I think I was really like a sporadic player," Fischer said. "I think I tried to do a lot, I try to do too much right after getting picked, especially on like being on a team that maybe you didn't expect to win every single night. That's something I take a lot of pride in. I like to win, right? I think everybody likes to win. I tried to do a lot. Sometimes it would hurt me. I think just being able to mature over two years, settle in and find who I'll be as a player going forward, I think, has been my biggest growth."

Now that there's an offensive upside, the growth has led to one particular area Fischer was honing in on.

"I think managing the puck, especially when it's on my stick making good decisions with it," he said. "I think I took a big step in that direction."

Fischer, who made a cameo appearance for Springfield two seasons ago (three games), was also summoned to the Thunderbirds but did not appear in any games, is among a group of recent prospects vying to be the next wave of Blues defensemen to be seen on management's radar. He will be at main training camp before heading to Springfield just putting his best foot forward and let the chips fall where they may, continue the growth and for the first time, likely see noticeable time in the AHL.

"I just look at it as a great opportunity, right? The fact that I might get the chance to play in the NHL is pretty cool, especially as a little kid to be here now," Fischer said. "I'm not sure I would have said that I thought I'd be here, even to just have a chance. I think I definitely just try to be the best version of myself every day and we'll see what happens."

'Dog On A Bone' Tynan Lawrence Will Be In Good Hands Developing At BUFirst-round pick (11th overall) in 2026 NHL Draft by St. Louis Blues, who overcame injury bug last year, will grow, gain valuable experience, wealth of knowledge in program that expects to winColin Ralph's Expedited Trip To Springfield Helps Defenseman Get Leg Up On Pro Career2024 second-round pick initially made jump from St. Cloud State To Michigan State last season before getting sample of games in AHL, where he is expected to play in 2026-27St. Louis Blues 2025 First-Round Pick Justin Carbonneau Wants To Crash The NHL Party; Can He?Forward, who scored 128 goals past three seasons at junior level including 51 last season, is a longshot to make Blues out of camp but will do his darndest to try, disrupt what is already a crowded group up frontBlues Prospect Dmitry Buchelnikov Wants To Make NHL Childhood Dream A Reality2022 second-round pick acquired from Red Wings was in St. Louis for development camp recently, appreciates Blues' faith in him; he's committed to one more year in KHL before hopefully making jump to North America

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The Buffalo Sabres snapped their 15-year postseason drought, winning the Atlantic Division and advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but after an offseason that saw Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch being dealt, the task of repeating as division champion or finishing in the top three of the Atlantic could be significantly more difficult. 

This week, we will finish up looking at the seven other teams in the Atlantic to see where they stand in comparison to where they were at the end of last season and see where they potentially stack up as competition with the Sabres.

The Montreal Canadiens are a club that closely resembles the Sabres in that they have improved by developing prospects internally, but have hastened their progress by adding players through trades. Montreal missed the playoffs three straight seasons after making the Cup Final in 2021, and were eliminated by Washington in the first round in 2025. Last season, the Canadiens surprisingly eliminated Tampa Bay in the first round and got by Buffalo on Alex Newhook’s Game 7 OT goal, but were outmatched in the Eastern Conference Final against Carolina.  

GM Kent Hughes to this point in the offseason has kept his powder dry, and not made any significant additions, but he did lock up goalie Jakub Dobes on a three-year contract extension.  

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Additions

None

Subtractions 

Brendan Gallagher - Traded to Vancouver with 50% retention ($3.25 million)

Joe Veleno - Left via free agency to the New York Rangers

Patrik Laine - Unsigned 

Outlook

The Canadiens are at this point following the same model that Jarmo Kekalainen is with the Sabres, but they are not dealing with any major departures as Buffalo is. The majority of the Habs core group are 25 and under, and have more playoff experience and success than the Sabres. Their top six of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky will only get better with more experience, and 20-year-old Ivan Demidov scored 62 points as a rookie. 

Defensively, Lane Hutson has been an offensive dynamo, scoring 144 points in his first two seasons. Free agent Noah Dobson battled through injuries in the playoffs after a solid first year in Montreal, and the their blueline depth is solid, with veterans Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, Alexandre Carrier, Jayden Struble, and Arber Xhekaj. In goal, Dobes grabbed the net from Samuel Montembeault last season and did not relinquish it, but rookie Jacob Fowler is expected to push for playing time next season.  

The Canadiens seem to have less question marks in all three areas than the Sabres heading into next season. The combo of Dobes and Fowler appears stronger than Buffalo’s three-headed monster, defensively the Sabres are not as good after the trade of Byram, to the point that the Habs blueline is either equal or better entering next season. 

Montreal has better firepower at the top of their forward group, but their achilles heel remains the lack of a second line center to take some of the offensive burden off of Suzuki. Buffalo is deeper up the middle and is at least equal to the Canadiens in the bottom six. At this point, it appears that Montreal is bound for a top three spot in the Atlantic, while the Sabres currently appear to be in the mix for a wildcard spot. 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo

The Montreal Canadiens have made another small trade.

The Canadiens have announced that they have traded forward Sean Farrell to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Sasha Pastujov. 

Farrell appeared in 47 games last season with the Laval Rocket, where he recorded nine goals, 19 assists, and 28 points. He also had two assists in five playoff games for Laval this past spring.

Farrell was selected by the Canadiens with the 124th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. In 186 career AHL games over three seasons with Laval, he posted 46 goals, 79 assists, and 125 points. He also played in six games for the Canadiens during the 2022-23 season, where he scored one goal. 

With Pastujov, the Canadiens are bringing in another young forward who has shown promise at the AHL level. In 71 games last season with the San Diego Gulls, he posted 21 goals and 57 points. This was after he had 17 goals and 45 points in 43 games for the AHL club in 2024-25.

Pastujov was selected by the Ducks with the 66th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He has yet to make his NHL debut. 

Ryan Reaves has been one of the most polarizing personalities in hockey and one of the toughest enforcers since he made his NHL debut with the St. Louis Blues in the 2010-11 season. 

Enforcers don't typically carve out long careers and rarely reach the 1,000-game plateau. But if Reaves finds an NHL home for the 2026-27 season, the 39-year-old would have to play just 38 games to hit that mark.

Reaves was on TSN's 1050 in Toronto recently, speaking about his NHL future. 

“Playing 1,000 games in the NHL is an honor, for sure, especially in the role that I play,” Reaves said on 1050’s First Up show. “But I’ve been training all summer already, and the body’s holding up pretty well. I just think I got one more left in the tank.

“As I came into the league, the older guys would give me advice,” Reaves added. “One [piece of] advice that has been consistent throughout all of them is, ‘Always play as long as you possibly can, because when it’s over, it’s over, and you’re gonna miss it.’ You don’t want to have regrets of, ‘oh, you know, I could’ve played one more year, and I shouldn’t have shut it down.’ I don’t want to have that regret. I think one more year would be fun, and to say I played to 40 would also be kind of fun, too.”

Reaves played seven seasons with the Blues, playing 419 games with the NHL organization and 214 games on the Blues' AHL affiliate. 

Following his departure from the Blues, Reaves went on to play 58 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, 209 games with the Vegas Golden Knights, 81 games with the New York Rangers, 61 games with the Minnesota Wild, 84 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and 50 games with the San Jose Sharks.

His career totals come out to 66 goals and 140 points in 962 games. Reaves also accumulated 1137 penalty minutes, ranking seventh among active players. 

The 6-foot-2, right-handed winger has struggled to remain effective late in his career outside of being a physical presence and as a fighter. Reaves may have to sign a professional tryout ahead of pre-season before signing an NHL deal. 

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The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, 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. 

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39 Redmond Savage  - Center (Jacksonville - ECHL, Rochester - AHL)

 The Sabres were looking for veteran depth players for the Rochester Americans and snagged a forward with NHL bloodlines in Redmond Savage. The son of former NHLer Brian Savage is a product of the US National Development Program and was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. The 5’11”, 185 center played for Team USA at the World Junior Championships in 2022 and 2023 and his first two collegiate seasons with Miami(OH) University. After his sophomore year, he used the NCAA’s transfer portal to head to Michigan State. 

With the Spartans, he set a collegiate-high as a junior, scoring 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in 38 games, but his senior season was abbreviated to just 20 games because of a season-ending injury.  The Red Wings opted not to sign the 23-year-old after his college career was completed, and last August, the Arizona native signed a two-year AHL deal with the Sabres. 

In his first pro season, Savage split time between ECHL Jacksonville and the Amerks, where he scored six points (3 goals, 3 assists) in 29 games, and he played in all three playoff games in the first round against Toronto. With a significant chunk of Rochester’s top forwards moving into the NHL this season, it is likely that players like Savage will get longer looks in primary positions next season.  

 

Follow Michael on X, and Instagram @MikeInBuffalo

 

Although he was eligible for a contract extension as of July 1, young Philadelphia Flyers star Matvei Michkov says no such talks have taken place just yet, and won't for a few more weeks at least.

In a recent interview with RG Media, Michkov, 21, was quizzed on his contract status, but the Russian winger had few updates to offer in the way of a potential extension.

"No, there haven't been any talks yet. I don't know. My main task is to focus on next season. And whatever happens, happens. As God wills, so it will be," Michkov told RG.

As for offseason communication with head coach Rick Tocchet? "No talks yet. When everything starts, then we'll talk."

The Flyers' main training camp opens on Thursday, Sept. 17, following the Rookie Series games against the New York Rangers and their youngsters at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa., and from there, we can deduce that Michkov and his camp will be more willing to start talks with the Flyers.

Of course, Michkov has spent most of his summer training back home in Russia, and recently scored a Michigan and hat trick in the Match of the Year charity game for Artemi Panarin's team.

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The 2023 No. 6 overall pick was reported to be expected back in the area in early August, which gives him a week or two to wrap up his current training and make the trip back to North America.

Michkov is also aware of the hefty contract the Flyers just handed out to teammate Trevor Zegras, who became the highest-paid player on the team after avoiding arbitration.

"I congratulated Trevor on his new contract. He's staying for four more years. I think it's a good signing for Philadelphia, because he's a strong player. You could say the whole team is now basically built around him," Michkov said of Zegras and his new four-year, $36.5 million contract.

Michkov has one year left on his entry-level contract with the Flyers at a $950k cap hit, with potential for $3.3 million in performance bonuses.

Montreal Canadiens fans may be getting somewhat fed up with kicking off the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but there’s one thing that never gets old: the rivalry between the two sides. Whether one team is struggling or not, both outfits always know how to raise their game to give fans memorable games filled with animosity.

One of the duels between the two sides was particularly memorable last season, the one that took place on November 22 and ended in a 5-2 Canadiens’ win. It certainly felt like Montreal inflicted some payback on Toronto after losing their first duel of the season 5-2 in Toronto, but it was also Florian Xhekaj’s very first NHL game.

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Before the puck dropped, Xhekaj was joined by his brother Arber to pose for a picture as it was also the brothers’ first regular-season game as members of the Montreal Canadiens. They became the 14th set of brothers to line up together in a game for the Habs and the first pair since Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn back in the 2007-08 season. The Habs' number 63 lined up with Jake Evans and Josh Anderson. Throughout the game, cameras kept an eye on the brothers’ mother, Simona Xhekaj, to catch her reaction to every bit of the action.

While the younger Xhekaj behaved himself for most of the game, even registering the first point of his career with an assist on a second-period Anderson goal, he did end up dropping the mitts late in the third frame after picking up a slashing penalty and having to fight Toronto defenseman Dakota Mermis. It was a fast and furious affair which didn’t prompt the same reaction from every member of the family. While Xhekaj’s big brother was beaming with pride on the bench, Mama Xhejaj had a worried look on her face, and the brothers’ sister gave Florian a standing ovation.

Dakota Mermis vs Florian Xhekaj Nov 22, 2025Dakota Mermis vs Florian Xhekaj from the Toronto Maple Leafs at Montreal Canadiens game on Nov 22, 2025. via https://www.hockeyfights.com

The older Xhekaj, no doubt feeling a bit left out of the action, also got a misconduct at the final whistle as tempers brewed over at the final buzzer. Still, the Canadiens went away with a 5-2 win largely due to a great performance by Jakub Dobes, who stopped 24 of the 26 shots he faced. It wasn’t the kind of game coaches like, however, since both teams committed 17 giveaways and failed to play a sound, responsible defensive game.

It was the first of five games the younger Xhekaj ended up playing last season, and he’ll no doubt be hoping to see more action this season. While he can handle himself on the ice, his skating isn’t exactly great and at times, it makes NHL action look a bit too fast for him. In the AHL, he played 64 games, putting up 29 points, including 17 goals, which is by no means a bad output, but he did have 24 goals the year before. He also added two points in five playoff games and 34 penalty minutes.

With both Joe Veleno and Brendan Gallagher not returning, it will be interesting to see if Xhekaj manages to grab a spot in the Canadiens’ lineup. It would be surprising if he did manage to do it out of camp, but it wouldn’t be shocking if he were called up in case of injuries, especially for matchups that promise to be physical.

Duels with the Florida Panthers could be particularly rough this season now that the Cats have added Brady Tkachuk to their lineup. The former Ottawa Senators captain has 31 points in 33 games against the Habs while recording 51 penalty minutes. Tkachuk and the Panthers will visit the Bell Center for a 1:00 PM game on Saturday, December 5; expect that game to be an eventful one.

As for the Leafs, they’ll be hoping to get back in the playoff picture this season after failing to make the Spring dance last year. The new regime in place has made many changes, bringing in some experienced players, including former Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky in net and acquiring Darren Raddysh in a sign-and-trade deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Montreal and Toronto will face each other four times this season, including in the season opener on September 29.

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On Aug. 21, former New York Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara will be playing in an event called "Zee's Final Shift", a farewell game for the 49-year-old Hockey Hall of Famer.

The farewell game will be held at the Winter Stadium in Trenčín.

Chara, who began his career with the Islanders in 1997-98 and returned to the team for his final NHL season in 2021-22, has invited many of his former teammates to this event, including some who played on Long Island. 

Johnny Boychuk, who is currently a part of the Islanders' player development squad, never played with Chara on Long Island. But the two won a Stanley Cup together with the Boston Bruins in 2011. 

The same goes for Dennis Seidenberg, who was on that Boston team and, like Boychuk, is working for the Islanders in player development. 

Then we have Zigmund Palffy, who was a fifth-year Islanders forward when Chara walked through the doors in 1997-98, playing a part of two seasons together. 

Fellow Slovakian Miroslav Satan, who played with Chara in Boston for one season in 2009-10, spent three seasons on Long Island (2005-2008).

Tomas Vanek's time with the Islanders spanned only 47 games in 2013-14 after being acquired and then traded off the island ahead of the 2014 NHL Trade Deadline.

Robert Reichel played for the Islanders as well (1997-1999). 

Here are the remaining invitees: Marian Hossa, Chris Kelly, Patrice Bergeron, Ray Bourque, Andrew Ference, Michal Handzuš, Jaromír Jágr, Tomáš Kaberle, Duncan Keith, Anže Kopitar, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Adam McQuaid, Daniel Paille, David Pastrňák, Mark Recchi, Andrej Sekera, Marco Sturm, Aaron Ward, and Jakub Voráček.

Learn more about the event here: 

Úvod | ZEE'S FINAL SHIFTZdeno Chára je prvým slovenským hráčom, ktorý ako kapitán mužstva získal Stanley Cup (v sezóne 2010/11).

Now a few weeks into free agency, the NHL has reached the quiet part of their calendar for the next month or so. Most the major moves are made and summer vacations and resets are in full swing as teams go slightly dormant to recharge the batteries for the upcoming season.

But news and changes are only one short phone call away, let’s set the table for what has happened so far this offseason and what could still be on the ol’ to-do list from last month’s action items.

Step 5b: More about free agents

On a related note to Step 5 above, there’s restricted free agency ahead for Arturs Silovs, Egor Chinakhov, Joel Blomqvist, Ville Koivunen and Alex Alexeyev. Aside from what the decision is about Alexeyev, either new contract agreements or at least qualifying offers will be sent to the rest of that group by the deadline later this month for progress in that area in the near future.

Koivunen remains an RFA with limited leverage on getting a new contract, beyond that the rest are taken care of. Alexeyev decided to sign in the KHL, the Penguins made sure to retain his NHL rights. Silovs signed a one-year deal, Blomqvist got two years (and an interesting structure within), Chinakhov got the most money and years for all at three years. Newly acquired RFA’s in Nick Robertson and Hendrix Lapierre got on the books for the next two years.

Step 6: June 1 free agents

This year there wasn’t much drama for the Penguins on drafted players whose rights expired yesterday. Zam Plante and Luke Devlin don’t apply since they are still enrolled in college that means Pittsburgh retains their rights a while longer

Nothin’ happening here, though prospect Cruz Lucius will qualify for unrestricted free agency on August 15th and likely choose to sign with a different NHL team soon after.

Step 7: Front office silly season

Todd Nelson’s name is starting to get floated around as a potential head coaching candidate.

The Pens made it through the bulk of the offseason without many moves within the front office. The notable exception is when Vokie Mpofu got hired to be an assistant GM for Nashville. Mpofu was an important behind the scenes executive over the past couple of years, his spot and role was replaced by another familiar face to Kyle Dubas when Brandon Pridham was hired by Pittsburgh under the title of hockey operations consultant.

Step 8: Draft prep

The bulk of the month will likely be spent finalizing a plan for the NHL draft, to be held June 26-27 in Buffalo.

The Penguins currently have seven picks, including three in the top 54 selections of the draft. Pittsburgh only has one pick over Rounds 4-7 (Nashville’s sixth rounder).

As tends to be the case under Dubas, the draft featured some activity and movement via trades. Pittsburgh traded a few picks around and ended up moving up in the fourth round to draft Parker von Richter and then moved to grab a fifth round pick to get goalie Matvei Nikonovich.

They remained the same at the top of the draft, taking the Ruck twins with their first two picks.

Step 9: Pro Scouting

Another behind the scenes action point, the Penguins will definitely be trying to find the next versions of Parker Wotherspoon, Anthony Mantha, Arturs Silovs and Justin Brazeau, if they can. All of those players contributed mightily to team success in 2025-26 and any NHL team can always strive for improvement around the margins if they find the right fits available.

Dubas gave signals the Penguins would seek value free agents and not look to make lengthy contractual commitments, and that’s exactly what happened. Andrey Kuzmenko was brought on as essentially an Anthony Mantha replacement on a one-year contract. Defenders Declan Carlile and Trevor van Riemsdyk were each given two-year contracts to add to the blueline that lost Ryan Shea and Connor Clifton as free agents.

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Looking ahead, there’s not too much between now and training camp that the Penguins really have to do by this point. Most of their heavy lifting to shape the roster for next season has been completed, though further touches can still be made and we’ll throw them out here.

Step 10: Logjam of forwards

In numbers, the Pens have added more this off-season than they’ve lost up front (Kuzmenko, Robertson, Lapierre in, only Mantha and Noel Acciari out as free agents from the NHL roster). That position was already stacked with recent-ish trades to add Chinakhov and Elmer Soderblom last season and ended up retaining veterans Evgeni Malkin, Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar with contract extensions. As of now, it’s possible to build a realistic top-12 without Lapierre or Justin Brazeau in the lineup and it would take injuries for any of Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty, Tristan Broz and Avery Hayes to see NHL time.

Pittsburgh has Brazeau and Tommy Novak as players in the final season of their contracts with July 2027 free agency dates looming. Veterans Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell are under contract through 2028 but never in shortage for trade whispers.

Now that the team knows their efforts to hunt for a big game possibility like star forward Jason Robertson won’t be happening, do they look the restack the deck a little bit? Dropping a forward via trade for a defenseman would make a lot of sense given splits. This doesn’t need to be addressed in summer but at some point the course is going to have to reverse for some forwards heading out to balance out all the incoming entries over the last six months.

Step 11: Comfortable with the blueline?

The current defense is very unusual for an NHL team, it contains two legitimate left shot defenders (Sam Girard and Declan Carlile) and then a host of unknown or undesirable options like Ryan Graves, Caleb Jones, Ilya Solovyov and Owen Pickering.

NHL teams typically have a shortage of right shot defenders, but that’s not the case now in Pittsburgh. Between Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang and the recently acquired Kaeden Korczak and Trevor van Riemsdyk, the Pens have a surplus of RHD even before getting to top prospect Harrison Brunicke.

The Pens haven’t been in a major hurry to even out the numbers, and even created the imbalance by trading their most capable LD (Parker Wotherspoon) for a right shot in Korczak. What their exact plan is for defense construction remains murky and could possibly be unconventional to use a right shot on the left side. This could be more curiosity than needing a transaction to settle the situation depending on the internal plans, but it’s worth pointing out.

Step 12: Veteran extensions

The Penguins have three star players in the final season of their contracts in 2026-27. First, there’s 40-year old Evgeni Malkin who essentially is on a year-by-year basis right now. If he wants to extend his career with the Pens, he will have to perform. Given his age, 2026-27 could be Malkin’s final NHL season but it doesn’t look likely that player or team knows if that is true or will be advertising an official farewell in the near future.

The second big star on an expiring deal is Karlsson. Karlsson has a full no movement clause and has been very choosy and deliberate about his past transactions. Depending on how the season goes and what his mindset is, Karlsson could become a deadline trade target but he just as easily could be content to ride the full season out in Pittsburgh before determining his next steps later.

Finally, there’s Sidney Crosby. Crosby has always extended his contracts fairly early in the process prior to the last season starting, but seems to be more contemplative about it these days (his last extension in 2024 wasn’t officially signed until just before the start of training camp). Crosby’s next contract would commit him to playing as a 40-year old in 2027-28, and understandably enough he wants to see how his body feels before making such a decision. Still, his contract will be an unavoidable frequent question with folks wondering if 2026-27 is his final season or not and he’s never liked that type of attention. Perhaps he and the team get together around camp, perhaps he has no answer about his future at this point. Either way, it’s something to watch around the time that September rolls around.

A familiar name is heading back to the Central Division.

Former Minnesota Wild draft pick Michael Milne has signed a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets organization, giving the 23-year-old winger a fresh opportunity after spending last season with three different organizations and four different teams.

Milne was originally selected by the Wild in the third round (89th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft after a standout WHL career with the Winnipeg Ice.

He spent parts of four seasons in Minnesota's organization, developing with the Iowa Wild while making his NHL debut during the 2024-25 season against the Dallas Stars.

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In 172 career games with Iowa, Milne recorded 32 goals, 33 assists and 65 points, including a career-best 15 goals and 26 points during the 2024-25 campaign. 

Minnesota re-signed Milne to a one-year, two-way contract last summer, but his time with the organization came to an end in December when the Wild traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Boris Katchouk.

After appearing in 19 games with the Syracuse Crunch, Milne was dealt again before the trade deadline to the Detroit Red Wings organization, where he finished the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins and the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL.

Now, Milne is returning to the city where he starred in junior hockey. He has signed with the Jets organization for the 2026-27 season, joining one of Minnesota's biggest Central Division rivals. 

While Milne is expected to begin the year in the American Hockey League, the move gives him another chance to work his way toward the NHL. If he earns a call-up, the former Wild prospect could find himself facing the team that drafted and developed him just four years earlier.

For Minnesota fans, Milne remains a prospect who never quite found a long-term opportunity with the organization. Now, his next opportunity will come with a division rival, adding another former Wild draft pick to the Central Division landscape.

It has been a quiet offseason for hockey news lately, except of course for the Carolina Hurricanes players living their best lives celebrating with their day with the Stanley Cup.

Frederik Andersen brought the Cup to Legoland, Nikolaj Ehlers celebrated with his home town, and Sebastian Aho brought it to a concert. Good times my friend, good times.

Frederik Andersen is building a pretty great day with the #StanleyCup! 🧱

(📸: IG/legolandbillund) pic.twitter.com/aH5wlrIa2N

— NHL (@NHL) July 22, 2026

Feelin' Fly with the Cup 😎 pic.twitter.com/ZlOhFSbnmu

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) July 23, 2026

The Finnish contingent, including “Papa Finn”.

😊 pic.twitter.com/bcWUR0ShNr

— DMD (@DMED142426) July 27, 2026

Obviously, “Turbo” is not superstitious.

Found a familiar face in Oulu 🇫🇮👋 pic.twitter.com/NsR4XqC4Ng

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) July 26, 2026

What an absolute scene in Finland 🔥 pic.twitter.com/byDWEyAYNy

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) July 26, 2026

I’m sure you all can look up more pics yourselves. One good place to start is with the “Keeper of the Cup” on Twitter (X). (It will always be Twitter to me).

In other news, Ronan Seeley avoided arbitration and signed with the Canes for one year on a two-way deal. It will guarantee him a minimum of $160K for the year. He was the only Hurricane applying for arbitration.

It has been quiet on the Alexander Nikishin front. Adam Gold and Cory Lavalette discuss that a bit here along with the release of Cory’s book. I still remember the good old days when Cory and I used to watch the Draft from my living room and would take turns writing articles about the picks on Canes Country.

At least one of us hit the big time!

Somehow I missed the beginning of the chatter regarding that Brind’Amour might retire when Jordan Staal does? I find it hard to believe. Perhaps it is a bit of posturing for the coach to get more money out of Mr. Dundon’s hands.

I hope everyone is having a great summer!

The Pittsburgh Penguins are entering next season with the hope of building off successful 2025-26 campaign. One of the reasons for their success last season was due to multiple players hitting new levels for them. 

Could prospect Owen Pickering be the next player to break out for the Penguins? The possibility should not be ruled out. 

While Pickering has not become a full-time NHL player at this stage in his career, he has the ability to change that. The 22-year-old defenseman has a lot of potential, and it would not be surprising if he breaks out next season. This is especially so when noting that he has a real shot of making the Penguins' roster. 

The left side of the Penguins' defense notably got weaker this off-season. This is because defenseman Ryan Shea signed with the Edmonton Oilers in free agency, while Parker Wotherspoon was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights. With this, there are spots to fight for on Pittsburgh's blueline, and it would not be surprising if Pickering gets more looks next season because of it. 

Pickering also is coming off a strong season in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In 68 games, he posted seven goals, 21 assists, 28 points, and a plus-16 rating. This was after he had two goals and 13 points in 47 games with the AHL club in 2024-25. 

Overall, Pickering has the tools to blossom into a very solid NHL defenseman. It will be interesting to see if the 2022 first-round pick has that big breakout year for Pittsburgh in 2026-27 from here. 

Colorado Avalanche News

• Is Brett Kulak’s Avalanche Contract Really One of the NHL’s Worst? [Sports Illustrated]

• After helping Colorado win the Stanley Cup in 2022, Jack Johnson is beginning a new chapter by joining one of college hockey’s premier programs at Ohio State. [The Hockey News]

• The Avalanche announced last week that the team has signed forward Georgii Merkulov to a one-year contract for the 2026-27 season. [Colorado Avalanche]
• Former Colorado Avalanche forward Andrew Agozzino announced his retirement from professional hockey on Tuesday after 14 years. [Col Hockey Now]

News Around the League

• Top remaining NHL free agents: The best 2026 UFAs still on the board. [The Daily Faceoff]

• Larkin, Hellebuyck appear on ‘Celebrity Family Feud’ with fellow gold medalists. [NHL]

• President Trump’s new 50% U.S. tariffs hit Canadian hockey: How Bauer, CCM, and Sherwood will be affected. [Yahoo Finance]

• Former Maple Leafs, Oilers goalie Jack Campbell ‘walking away’ from hockey. [Sportsnet]

• Hockey Canada coach Donskov praises Celebrini: ‘Touched by the hand of God’. [TSN]

• Kane rejoined Blackhawks to win, not ‘ride off into the sunset’. [The Score]

The Toronto Maple Leafs have taken on a slew of new contracts this off-season. That comes from their abundance of free-agency acquisitions, trades or even Gavin McKenna's entry-level contract that he signed on the final day of development camp on July 3.

Some contracts are better than others, and some are easy for the team to handle if a certain player needs to be moved. The constant growth of the salary cap helps with the way organizations handle the bigger contracts, and for the Leafs, it's tough to say there is a very horrible contract that's holding the franchise back.

Nonetheless, that doesn't mean there aren't challenging contracts on the team's payroll. Whether that be how long the deal is, the salary cap hit, or even the clauses that are included for each player.

Here are the three most challenging contracts on the Maple Leafs' roster going into the 2026-27 NHL season, in alphabetical order.

Dakota Joshua, LW

Dakota Joshua has two more years left on the four-year contract that he originally signed with the Vancouver Canucks in June 2024. Joshua and his $3.25-million salary cap hit became the Maple Leafs' responsibility when he was traded to Toronto for a 2028 fourth-round draft pick last off-season.

The main issue with this deal is that Joshua hasn't played up to the standard of his salary and has been bumped down the Leafs' lineup as a result. Even with the cap rising, it's not ideal to have a player earn above $3 million as a fourth liner, unless they provide another dimension to their game that's rare around the league.

Maple Leafs 2026-27 Line Projections: Where Do Gavin McKenna And Easton Cowan Fit?The Toronto Maple Leafs may not be done tinkering with their lineup between now and training camp. So we did our best to look at projected lines for opening night.

Morgan Rielly, D

It's fair to say that Morgan Rielly hasn't been playing up to standard over the past couple of seasons. However, he doesn't perform much lower than how a $7.5-million defenseman should.

After all, he still logs important minutes for Toronto, averaging the second-most minutes on the team for the past two seasons at 21:08 in 2025-26 and 21:23 in 2024-25. And frankly, he's a top-four defenseman on most teams in the NHL, despite only notching 36 points in 78 games this past year.

Therefore, the issue is not his salary. But if Toronto wanted to move off Rielly to change up the D-corps and for the veteran to receive a change in scenery after 13 seasons with the Leafs, the length of the deal and his clause might be what scares potential trade partners away, or at least from providing a sufficient return.

Rielly has four more years left on his contract, which will take him to the age of 36 when it expires. With that, he has a no-move clause for the rest of his deal, with a modified 10-team no-trade clause attached to the final two years of the agreement, according to PuckPedia.

Six Maple Leafs Who Have The Most To Prove Going Into The 2026-27 NHL SeasonGoing into the 2026-27 NHL season, here are six members of the Toronto Maple Leafs who have the most to prove.

Colton Sissons, C

Colton Sissons was included in GM John Chayka's free agency haul on July 1. The former Nashville Predators and Vegas Golden Knights center inked a two-year contract at $4.25 million per season.

For the Maple Leafs, Sissons' contract isn't all that back-breaking, just like much of the roster, thanks to the salary cap. However, his cap hit is a little high considering the stature of the player he is.

Sissons has never been a difference-maker offensively, and that attribute is the common denominator in paying a high price tag for a skater, even defensemen. Instead, the 32-year-old is known more for his two-way game and efforts on the penalty kill and faceoff dot. Those are still very much helpful tools to his new team, but it's not a rare talent.

Still, his cap hit isn't blasphemy, as he's still an effective player. But the fact that Sissons' salary is just about $140,000 less than what John Tavares makes - who is a consistent 30-goal scorer - is slightly puzzling, even if Tavares took an obvious pay cut.

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While it may have taken some time, the shockwaves the Philadelphia Flyers sent through the Anaheim Ducks with their $90 million offer sheet to Leo Carlsson are starting to form visible cracks.

Because the Ducks matched the five-year, $18 million AAV deal signed by their 21-year-old budding star, they are now severely limited on cap space, left with just $9 million to sign young 40-goal-scorer Cutter Gauthier to a new contract--an amount not expected to be nearly enough.

Veteran contributors like Chris Kreider, Alex Killorn, and Frank Vatrano have all emerged as trade candidates with the Ducks in dire need of cap space, and other NHL teams are aware of that fact, meaning the Ducks may not get anything substantive in return with their lack of leverage.

The Flyers have forced the Ducks into an unwinnable position, even though their true intentions were to sign Carlsson.

Credit to the Ducks for being unwavering in their stance, but we're now starting to see the unintended consequences.

The latest example is that 2026 first-round pick Nikita Klepov, who was included on Michigan State University's roster just one day prior, signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the Ducks on Saturday, making him ineligible for collegiate play.

New Flyers-Canadiens Trade Rumor Doesn't Pass the Smell TestThe Philadelphia Flyers have been linked to Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj once again, but the connection doesn't pass the smell test.

Now, instead of playing college hockey at any point in his development, Klepov has two options: back to the CHL with the OHL's Saginaw Spirit, or make the NHL outright with the Ducks.

Because the Flyers forced such a massive contract upon the Ducks and left them in need of spare cash, the Ducks will need as many low-money contributors as they can to replace the likes of Kreider, Killorn, and Vatrano if and when they are traded.

As an 18-year-old on an ELC, Klepov has a cap hit of just $1.075 million, plus some potential for performance bonuses.

For comparison, Vatrano, the cheapest of the trio, comes with a $4.571 million cap charge.

It may very well not turn out to be the end of the world, but it certainly seems that the Flyers may have forced the Ducks to consider giving Klepov a real run at an NHL roster spot fresh out of the 2026 draft just because they needed to save some money.

Klepov, the 15th overall pick, is talented and absolutely deserving of his draft status, but being thrown right into a competitive NHL environment is far from ideal for his development.

Gauthier has the power to create a favorable outcome for the Ducks with his next contract, but that doesn't seem likely at this stage. Take it from the Flyers.