Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has had a legendary NHL career, solidifying his place as one of the greatest players in hockey history.

Despite the Penguins missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season this past year, he remained dominant at 37, finishing the year with 33 goals and 91 points in 80 games. It was his third-straight season of 90+ points, and he compiled 30 points in the Penguins' final 21 games of the year. 

His outstanding season puts him on the brink of breaking Mario Lemieux's record for the most points in franchise history. Crosby is ninth all-time in NHL scoring with 1,687 points, just 36 points behind Lemieux for eighth on the all-time list. Assuming he stays healthy this season, he will break that record and likely have it for many years to come. 

Crosby is also only 68 points away from tying Steve Yzerman for 7th on the all-time scoring list and 84 away from tying Marcel Dionne for sixth. 

In terms of assists, Crosby ranks 10th in NHL history with 1,062 after passing Gordie Howe during the 2024-25 season. He's only 38 away from 1,100 for his career, which would move him past Yzerman and Adam Oates on the all-time list. 

The Penguins may not be very good this upcoming season but Crosby will give fans more than enough reasons to tune into games on a nightly basis. 

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Featured Image Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Chicago Blackhawks are hoping that goaltender Spencer Knight will become something special for them. The 2019 first-round pick undoubtedly has plenty of potential and has shown promise early on, but there is a real expectation that he has not hit his ceiling yet. 

During this past season split between the Florida Panthers and Blackhawks, Knight put together a 17-16-3 record, a .901 save percentage, and a 2.72 goals-against average in 38 games. Overall, it was a solid year for the youngster, and it will be fascinating to see what kind of season he has as the Blackhawks' starter in 2025-26 from here. 

In 95 career NHL games over four seasons, Knight has a 49-33-9 record, a .904 save percentage, and a 2.83 goals-against average. Due to his solid play over the year, he has now received more praise. 

Blackhawks' Spencer Knight is One of the Most Impressive Goalies Under 25The NHL is full of young talent and the league has been getting younger in recent years. The Chicago Blackhawks have some of that young talent on their team and have impressive players at every position.

NHL Fantasy/Edge has named their top 10 goalies who are 26 years old or younger for the 2025-26 season, and Knight was ranked at the No. 8 spot. Knight beat out Joel Hofer of the St. Louis Blues and Leevi Merilainen of the Ottawa Senators on the list.

There's so much young talent in the crease around the NHL! 🙅‍♂️ #NHLYoungStarsWeekpic.twitter.com/lJg2WrA6Hu

— NHL Fantasy / EDGE 🏒 (@NHLFantasy) July 18, 2025

Given how Knight has performed early on in his career, him making this list is entirely fair. The potential for him to have a strong season in 2025-26 is there, and this is especially so if he taps into his potential more. Thus, he could be a good goalie for fantasy hockey managers to bring in once the big-name netminders are off the board. 

Former Blackhawks Forward Had Monster YearDuring the 2022 NHL off-season, the Chicago Blackhawks elected not to send forward Dylan Strome a qualifying offer. As a result, he became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) and signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Washington Capitals in July of that year. This was after Strome posted 22 goals and 48 points with the Blackhawks during the 2021-22 season. 

Photo Credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

St. Louis Blues goaltender Joel Hofer once again had a solid season in 2024-25. In 31 games with the Blues on the year, the 24-year-old goaltender recorded a 16-8-3 record, a .904 save percentage, and a 2.64 goals-against average. This was after he had a 15-12-1 record, a .913 save percentage, and a 2.65 goals-against average in 30 games with the Blues in 2023-24. 

Due to his strong play over the last two seasons, Hofer earned a two-year contract extension with an average annual value (AAV) of $3.4 million this off-season. Now, he has also earned some nice praise. 

NHL Fantasy/Edge recently ranked the top 10 fantasy hockey goalies who are 26 years old or younger heading into the 2025-26 season, and Hofer secured the No. 9 spot.

The other goalies who made the list are Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars), Dustin Wolf (Calgary Flames), Pyotr Kochetkov (Carolina Hurricanes), Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks), Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins), Yaroslav Askarov (San Jose Sharks), Spencer Knight (Chicago Blackhawks), and Leevi Merilainen (Ottawa Senators).

There's so much young talent in the crease around the NHL! 🙅‍♂️ #NHLYoungStarsWeekpic.twitter.com/lJg2WrA6Hu

— NHL Fantasy / EDGE 🏒 (@NHLFantasy) July 18, 2025

Given how well Hofer has played at the Blues' backup, it is understandable that he is being considered one of the top young goalies for fantasy hockey in 2025-26. He has the potential to be a nice sleeper heading into next season, and this will especially be the case if he hits a new level with the Blues in 2025-26. 

Former Blues Prospect Signs With New TeamA former St. Louis Blues prospect is taking his talents overseas.

Photo Credit:  © James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images

Two new 99 overall Team Builder cards are live now in NHL 25 Hockey Ultimate Team. 

A 99 overall Zdeno Chara and Jaromir Jagr are now available, as well as 14 new Chelebration cards.

The Team Builders can be built in sets, one 99 card can be acquired by trading in any 10 92+ cards. This is a good deal and a much cheaper way to build 99s than past events. 

The new Chelebration cards are led by four 97 overall players, they are Wayne Gretzky, Daniel Alfredsson, Mikko Rantanen, and Zach Werenski. 96 overall Mathew Barzal and Patrik Laine, 95 overall Jordan Kyrou and Adam Lowry were also added. 

Screenshots of Chara and Jagr via HUTContent on X.

The Season 7 XP Path is now live,  Check out the new Chelebration Event. 

For more NHL 25 news make sure you bookmark The Hockey News Gaming Site or follow our Google News Feed.      

New Pittsburgh Penguins’ defenseman Connor Clifton missed a few important calls back on Jun. 28 while the 2025 NHL Draft was happening. 

“It was kind of funny,” Clifton said. “I was putting my daughter down for a nap, and I guess the draft was going on. We didn’t even have it on the TV, but I didn’t see that [Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams]... he texted me, and I had a missed call, I guess, when I was in the room.”

After his daughter fell asleep, he noticed the missed calls from Adams, and he told his wife. 

“She’s like, ‘Oh… where are we going?’” Clifton recalled.

As he found out just a few minutes later while whispering in the restroom - as to not wake his sleeping daughter - he was traded to the Penguins during the second round of the draft in a trade that also brought in the second-round pick used to draft defenseman Peyton Kettles. The deal also sent defenseman Conor Timmins and defensive prospect Isaac Belliveau to the Sabres. 

And even though the news came as a bit of a surprise to Clifton, the 30-year-old defenseman was more than ready for a change of scenery. 

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound right defenseman felt as though he was straying away from what made his game so effective over the last two seasons in Buffalo, where he signed as a free agent in the summer of 2023 after spending his first five NHL seasons with the Boston Bruins. Drafted in the fifth round (133rd overall) by the Phoenix Coyotes in 2013, Clifton was heralded as a physical, hard-hitting blueliner despite his size, and his competitive edge helped elevate him through his college years at Quinnipiac University and his AHL seasons in Providence prior to the NHL. 

Penguins Trade Timmins, Prospect For Clifton, Second-Round Pick; Select Defenseman Peyton KettlesAfter the events of the first round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins were left without the second-round pick given to them by the Washington Capitals for forward Anthony Beauvillier at the trade deadline.

Clifton was scratched for nine games last season - and several in 2023-24, too - due to a self-proclaimed “standstill” in his game.

“I wasn’t too happy with it,” Clifton said. “I think I was all over the place: I wouldn’t even say just last year, really the past two years. My game has, kind of, been at a standstill. It was a lot of mental battles along the way. 

“I feel like I kind of lost myself. The change of scenery - I got that call that I’m going to be a Pittsburgh Penguin - I was really excited for the change. I want to get back to my old self and how I play and the impact that I have on the game. It was a couple of mental battles… but, you just try to simplify and be who you are, I guess.”

And one person who may be able to help Clifton rediscover his form is new Penguins’ head coach Dan Muse, who tried to recruit Clifton to Yale University back in 2013 during his time there. Even though things didn’t work out the first time with Clifton and Muse, the defenseman looks forward to the opportunity to finally get to work with him.

'I'll Be Ready': Penguins' Mantha Sets Goal To Hit Ground Running In Training CampIn the summer of 2024, the Pittsburgh Penguins had, apparently, reached out to then-free agent forward Anthony Mantha.

They spoke last week while Clifton was in Pittsburgh for a few days. He is aware that the Penguins have a lot of competition on the right side of their defensive corps - Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Matt Dumba, and, potentially, prospect Harrison Brunicke, are already in the picture, too - but he left the conversation feeling confident.

“I was speaking to Dan and just how we’re going to be competitive, and it’s all going to start with work,” Clifton said. “And he mentioned he wanted me to come in and try to find it right away and don’t come in all passive, but be aggressive and be who I am. And that’s always good to hear.”

Like everyone else who has come into the fold for the Penguins this summer, Clifton is aware that the Penguins are in a bit of a transitional period. But, he’s also aware of the veterans the team has in the room. 

He recalled his playing days with the Bruins, when he had the chance to play with guys like Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Even if Pittsburgh is in this time of change and transition, he knows that he can learn a lot from them.

“To play with some greats, with some of the starpower in that room, I think it’s going to be awesome to be around those guys,” Clifton said. “I came up for the Boston Bruins playing with some absolute legends, and I get to play with Sidney Crosby. So, you know, it’s pretty incredible. I’ve played against those guys for a while now, but I’m excited to meet them, get in the same room, and get on the same side as them for once.”

And one thing he won’t do is count them out, even if others have Pittsburgh penciled in as a non-playoff team next season.

“I’m excited for the opportunity, and yeah, I guess you want to talk about standings,” Clifton said. “But with, obviously, some of the guys you have in that room, you’ve got a veteran group, an older group who knows how to play the game, knows how to manage situations… so, I think I’m excited to get back to that, meet the guys, and get this year started.”

Will Owen Pickering Make The Opening Night Roster?The Pittsburgh Penguins will have a lot of decisions to make regarding some of their young players before the puck drops on the regular season Oct. 7 against the New York Rangers.

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The Philadelphia Flyers have officially reached the point where they can't afford to hold onto the rotting contract of Ryan Ellis any longer.

Ellis, 34, has two years remaining on his contract at a $6.25 million cap hit, but is permanently retired from playing in the NHL and has since returned to Nashville to rehab and preserve his quality of life.

Now, the Flyers could always place Ellis on LTIR instead of regular injured reserve and benefit from that cap relief, but they won't accrue any daily cap space for as long as Ellis is on LTIR.

The issue is that the Flyers want to avoid this, preferring to accrue cap space and keep their options open ahead of the trade deadline.

Current injuries to Tyson Foerster and Rasmus Ristolainen, and the call-up replacements for those players, leave the Flyers with about $570k in cap space, and the cap space the Flyers accrue depends on their daily cap hit.

Effectively, the lower the daily cap hit, the more money they gain, but their daily cap hit is quite high as it currently stands.

So, if the Flyers want the cap space, and they don't want to use the LTIR pool, the next logical step would be to move on from Ellis's contract altogether.

Flyers Among NHL Leaders in Dead Salary Cap SpaceThe Philadelphia Flyers will head into the 2025-26 season with the third-highest amount of dead salary cap space in the NHL.

It may cost a prospect or a draft pick, sure, but it opens the opportunity to recoup a draft pick by helping facilitate a retained salary trade at the NHL trade deadline, for example.

Simply put, there is no reason for the Flyers to put themselves in the precarious position of potentially not being able to afford to call players up as injury replacements and construct the roster as they wish, as well as limiting themselves at the trade deadline months in advance.

Looking around the NHL, fellow rebuilders like the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Chicago Blackhawks are barely above the NHL's salary cap floor.

Taking on Ellis's deal will help those teams ensure they don't have to make needless big-money commitments to veterans to add to the roster and stay above the floor at the same time.

As for a potential price, the Flyers could reference the Shea Weber trade from this past NHL trade deadline.

On March 7, the Blackhawks traded a 2026 fifth-round picks to the Utah Mammoth for Weber's contract, 24-year-old prospect Aku Raty, and the rights to 24-year-old prospect Victor Soderstrom, who was subsequently traded to Boston for Ryan Mast and a 2025 seventh-round pick.

The Flyers don't have fourth- or fifth-round picks in 2026, but they do have a 2027 third-round pick acquired in the Andrei Kuzmenko trade that could be used if no prospects are included, as Utah did with Chicago.

Prospects who could be dangled in this potential scenario might include the oft-injured Samu Tuomaala, Adam Ginning, and Aleksei Kolosov, particularly in the event he doesn't return to North America this season.

How Cam York's New Flyers Contract Changes Salary Cap OutlookAfter re-signing Cam York, the Philadelphia Flyers have depleted virtually all of their salary cap space ahead of the start of the 2025-26 season.

Kolosov and Tuomaala are both RFAs at the end of the season, and Kolosov's UFA season is 2029-30. The Belarusian goalie could be a smart bet for a team willing to take the risk of letting him go home and potentially return to the NHL at a later date.

But, this is all to say that the Flyers have options when it comes to moving on from Ellis and his big $6.25 million cap hit.

They'd be better served having that money available to spend in the 2026 and 2027 free agent classes rather than hold onto it any longer to preserve a measly draft asset or two.

Plus, as mentioned above, not being able to call up players in the event of injuries is not a place you want to be to start your season.

But, will the Flyers try to help themselves, or will they continue to play the long game and stick with the passive approach?

Six NHL RFAs have dates scheduled for a salary arbitration hearing in 2025.

After the NHL Players' Association previously announced hearings would be held between July 20 and Aug. 4, PuckPedia reported the schedule now runs from July 28 to Aug. 3 as follows:

July 28: Arvid Soderblom, G, Chicago Blackhawks
July 29: Maxim Tsyplakov, RW, New York Islanders
July 30: Dylan Samberg, D, Winnipeg Jets
Aug. 2: Conor Timmins, D, Buffalo Sabres
Aug. 3: Nick Robertson, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs
Aug. 3: Jayden Struble, D, Montreal Canadiens

On those days, the player (with the NHLPA and/or the player's representative) and their respective teams (with a league representative) will try to persuade an independent arbitrator to award a contract that favors their case. Both parties can use statistics, player comparables and other allowed evidence to make their case.

All the scheduled hearings are for player-elected arbitration cases. The two players in team-elected arbitration cases – the Sabres' Bowen Byram and Utah Mammoth's Jack McBain – have since signed contracts.

Five RFAs who filed for arbitration – the Anaheim Ducks' Lukas Dostal and Drew Helleson, Winnipeg Jets' Gabriel Vilardi and Morgan Barron, and Seattle Kraken's Kaapo Kakko – have also since settled on new deals. Kakko's hearing was scheduled for July 25.

That said, the remaining players and squads still have time to avoid this potentially contentious process. But if they do have the hearing, the team has options of what to do afterward.

Before The Hearing

Any RFA who's scheduled for arbitration cannot sign an offer sheet with another club at this point.

They can, however, settle the case and re-sign with their current team at any time before the beginning of the hearing, which is usually at 9 a.m. ET except when the NHL and NHLPA agree to change it.

After The Hearing

The arbitrator must issue and email the decision to the parties within 48 hours of the end of the hearing.

The contract must be either one or two years long. In a player-elected salary arbitration, the team elects the length, and in a club-elected arbitration, the player chooses the term. If the player is one year away from unrestricted free agency, however, then the award can only be for one season.

The arbitrator will establish the term, salary, minor-league salary if they decide to include one and the reasons for the decision.

In a player-elected arbitration, if the awarded average annual value is at least $4.85 million, the team can walk away from one year of the contract. If the club walks away from a one-year contract, the player becomes a UFA. On an awarded two-year deal, the team can opt for a one-year contract instead, and the player would be a UFA once it ends. The squad only has 48 hours to notify the parties of that decision.

Where Seven NHL RFAs Fit In With Their Team Before ArbitrationSeven NHL RFAs could have salary arbitration hearings this week.

Three days after the last arbitration case is either awarded or settled, a second buyout window opens for NHL teams that had a player file for arbitration. Only contracts with a cap hit greater than $4 million that were on the team's roster at the last NHL trade deadline can be bought out in this window.

Arbitration rules are according to the NHL and NHLPA collective bargaining agreement and, when hyperlinked, PuckPedia.

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Senior writer at THN Adam Proteau has given the Calgary Flames a ranking of number 28 in The Hockey News' NHL summer splash rankings.

That is only above the Los Angeles Kings, Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres.

It was not a surprise as the Flames had a quiet free-agency with most notable signings being that of defenceman Nick Cicek and goalie Ivan Prosvetov. 

The team lost many players including back-up goalie Dan Vladar to the Flyers, leaving Prosvetov and Dan Cooley to battle it out for the spot behind Dustin Wolf.

There is a lot of talent in the Flames system and the future seems bright as ever, but for the next season senior players like Mikael Backlund, Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau will take the reigns in Southern Alberta. Calgarians will (and have good reason to) be hoping pleasant surprises from younger talents like Matt Coronato and Zayne Parekh. 

EDMONTON – Special teams are special for a reason.

The Edmonton Oilers superstars know their way around a powerplay. Unfortunately, for the Stanley Cup runner-up, they struggled on the penalty kill in their most recent playoff run.

Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more. 

Luckily for fans and the team, a plan is in motion to address the contender’s glaring weakness.

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How Bad Was The Oilers' Penalty Kill?

During the 2024-25 playoffs, the Oilers’ penalty kill was successful 67.1 percent of the time. The Cup Finalists' penalty kill was ranked 14th out of the 16 teams in the playoffs.

The only teams with a worse penalty kill were the Ottawa Senators and the Los Angeles Kings. The team with the best penalty kill was the repeating Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers.

Kris Knoblauch Outlines The Plan To Improve

Oilers head coach, Kris Knoblauch, made an appearance on the Oilers Now show with Bob Stauffer on Monday, July 21st. The two had a wide-ranging conversation, with one of the talking points being around the penalty kill and the strategy surrounding it going into the new season.

“We knew we were going to be making changes,” Knoblauch told Stauffer. “We were waiting to see how many changes we were going to make…we were waiting to find out what our team would look like next year.”

Personnel is a key factor to a successful penalty kill. Knoblauch continued by emphasizing what the focus is for the team and coaching staff, as it pertains to the penalty kill. 

“Who are the guys who are going to be (penalty) killing? What kind of killers are they going to be?” Knoblauch asked. “Is it going to be more skating? Is it going to be more shot-blocking? And having all those aspects (figured out) before we made all those decisions.”

Knoblauch then laid out a potential framework for improvement, serving as a jumping-off point to investigate what has worked for other teams and identify what can be applied to them.

“Yes, it will definitely look different,” Knoblauch said of the penalty kill. “More similar to what other teams are doing. I think we’ll be doing a lot of copying of what some of the other successful teams have been doing around the NHL.”

Where Can The Oilers Learn To Have A Better Penalty Kill?

There are a few teams that have consistently performed well on the penalty kill over the last three years. Looking at the NHL.com stats, one team stands above the rest: the Carolina Hurricanes.

While the New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars have recorded a top-five performing penalty kill in two out of the last three seasons, only the Hurricanes have had a top-five shorthanded unit for three consecutive years.

The Hurricanes have had the best penalty kill over the past two years (83.6 & 86.4 percent, respectively), and the second-best kill three years ago (84.4 percent).

When speaking to Cory Lavalette of The Athletic, a few Hurricanes’ players cited a few reasons for their success on the penalty kill. For some players, it comes down to using their speed and offensive creativity to anticipate their opponent’s next move. For others, it’s playing aggressively and not being afraid to block shots.

One thing is for certain: if the Oilers are going to use any team in the league as an example to mold their penalty kill after, there isn’t a better option than the Hurricanes.

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Welcome back to The Hockey News - Vancouver Canucks site’s Coaches as Players series. Last time, we looked at newly-appointed Canucks head coach Adam Foote’s long-tenured NHL career with the Québec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets. Today, we’ll turn to one of Foote’s new assistant coaches, Kevin Dean. 

Dean, a defenceman, played in two seasons with Culver Military Academy Prep before being drafted into the NHL 86th overall by the New Jersey Devils in 1987. He then moved onto the University of New Hampshire in the NCAA, playing there for four seasons before joining the Devils organization. In his time with New Hampshire, Dean scored 14 goals and 36 assists in 131 games. This included a 10-goal, 12-assist season in 31 games back in 1990–91. 

For the next four seasons, Dean split his playing time with the Utica Devils and Albany River Rats of the AHL and the Cinncinati Cyclones of the ECHL and later IHL. His time with the River Rats was most notable of these, as he had a career-high in goals in an AHL season with nine in 1993–94, as well as 33 assists in 70 games. He was also named the team’s captain the season after and helped them win the 1995 Calder Cup. 

Dean made his NHL debut in the 1994–95 season, skating for the Devils on February 27, 1995 against the Montréal Canadiens. He played in 17 games for New Jersey in this season, grabbing his first NHL point in his sixth game — an assist against the Ottawa Senators. As well as winning the 1995 Calder Cup, he also dressed in three of the Devils’ playoff games, adding two assists and winning his first career Stanley Cup with the big club. He is part of a small group of players who have won both the Calder Cup and Stanley Cup in the same season. 

In the seasons after winning both the Stanley Cup and Calder Cup, Dean spent the bulk of his time with New Jersey. From the 1995–96 season to 1998–99, he played in 181 games with the Devils, scoring three goals and 28 assists in this span of time. He also represented Team USA at the 1997–98 IIHF World Championship, skating in three of the team’s games. 

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The 1999–2000 season saw Dean move on from the Devils organization, which he’d been with since being drafted nearly 13 years prior. In this particular year, Dean skated with three different NHL teams — the Atlanta Thrashers, Dallas Stars, and Chicago Blackhawks. He played in 23 games with the Thrashers, scoring one goal in a November 3 matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. On December 15, he was traded to the Stars in exchange for future considerations (later a ninth-round pick that was converted into Mark McRae). He spent 14 games with Dallas before his next move on February 8, in which himself, Derek Plante, and a 2001 second-round pick were flipped to Chicago for Sylvain Cote and Dave Manson. 

Chicago was the team that Dean rounded out his NHL career with, as he played the remainder of the 1999–2000 season with them, scoring two goals and eight assists in his final 27 games of the season. After this, he spent one more year with the Blackhawks, posting 11 assists in 69 games in 2000–01. In 2001–02, Dean made his return to the AHL, playing in 76 games for the Milwaukee Admirals and tallying five goals and 14 assists. Less than five years later, Dean began his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Lowell Devils. 

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It’s the Dallas Stars’ turn to be analyzed in The Hockey News’ NHL summer splash rankings.

We’ve been counting down each NHL team’s off-season, based on which franchises improved, stayed the same or got worse this off-season. We’re breaking things down in terms of additions and departures, including hirings and firings where applicable.

Be sure to see the teams that finished lower than the Stars at the bottom. But first, let’s look at Dallas’ moves and see why we ranked them 27th in our NHL summer splash rankings.

Additions

Radek Faksa (C), Glen Gulutzan (coach)

The Breakdown: The Stars made it to the Western Conference final and lost for the third straight season, falling to the Edmonton Oilers for the second straight year. Stars GM Jim Nill faced a salary cap crunch after acquiring and re-signing right winger Mikko Rantanen at the NHL trade deadline, so he re-signed as many players as he could – Matt Duchene, Jamie Benn, Mavrik Bourque, Nils Lundqvist and more – while adding a piece in free agency.

The biggest addition for Dallas is the return of Gulutzan behind the bench. This will be Gulutzan’s second stint as Stars coach. Given that he failed to get Dallas into the Stanley Cup playoffs in the two seasons he ran the team from 2011 to 2013, he’s under immediate pressure to at least get the Stars to the Cup final this coming season.

The only addition roster-wise is another Star on his second go-around with the team – veteran Faksa, who will step in as a bottom-six center. He’s a downgrade from the rental acquisition that was Mikael Granlund, but Faksa remains a decent performer who can help defensively.

Departures

Mikael Granlund (C), Mason Marchment (LW), Evgenii Dadonov (RW), Cody Ceci (D), Matt Dumba (D), Brendan Smith (D), Peter DeBoer (coach)

The Breakdown: The salary cap-challenged Stars had to let go of three valuable forwards – Granlund (who left for Anaheim via free agency), Marchment (who was traded to Seattle) and Dadonov (who departed for New Jersey). That’s a major dent in Dallas’ offense, which was the third-most-potent in the NHL last year at 3.35 goals-for per game. 

The Stars can still win blowout games as well as tight defensive matchups, but they won’t be quite as dangerous as they were on paper a couple of months ago.

Meanwhile, the Stars' defense corps changed after many pinpointed it as Dallas’ biggest weakness this past season. Nill unloaded the contract of Dumba on the Pittsburgh Penguins, while Ceci left for the L.A. Kings in free agency, and Smith remains a UFA. Neither player recorded more than 10 points for Dallas this past season, 

And of course, DeBoer self-immolated during and after the Western final loss, taking issue with star goalie Jake Oettinger’s play. Nill clearly sided with his top goalie, and DeBoer is now looking for work after three years behind Dallas’ bench.

The Bottom Line

The Stars have made significant moves, but they haven’t gotten better, and on offense, they’ve taken a slight step backward.

That said, the Stars are getting their first full year of superstar right winger Rantanen, and bringing back captain Benn on a $1-million salary with performance bonuses is a nice job by Nill. 

Marchment and Granlund definitely leave a hole in the lineup, but you can rest assured that, even with only $1 million in cap space, Nill will find a way to improve his lineup with a trade or two during the season.

Nill has built his team to win now. And while there’s a looming debate about whether he has room to re-sign star left winger Jason Robertson when he becomes an RFA next summer, the Stars will roll the dice one more time with the group that got them into the Final Four for three years running.

The Stars are low in our NHL summer splash rankings because there’s no question they’re not quite as good as they were at their peak last season. That does not automatically mean they had a bad off-season.

There are exceptions in the rankings for teams that did significantly less or more than expected, with some squads already on the list not doing enough – either quantity-wise or quality-wise on the trade or free-agent market – to support their core players. Dallas isn't an exception, which goes to show the tight margin between the teams as we move up this list.

The back-to-back-to-back GM of the year was active in damage limitation with the cap crunch they had, and Nill deserves credit for that.

Summer Splash Rankings

27. Dallas Stars

28. Calgary Flames

29. Los Angeles Kings

30. Winnipeg Jets

31. Chicago Blackhawks

32. Buffalo Sabres

Florida's loaded cap space make back-to-back champion Niko Mikkola a possible cap causality next summer

The 2026 NHL offseason has the potential to completely alter the league’s landscape. Unlike recent years, when top-tier players mostly chose to stay put, this upcoming free agent class could see several franchise-altering talents test the open market.

With names like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Artemi Panarin possibly available, front offices around the league are already strategizing for a summer that could redefine their rosters and their futures.

One team that could find itself at the center of this shake-up is the Florida Panthers. Fresh off back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, Florida has a core locked in long-term, but not everyone may stick around. Veteran defenseman Niko Mikkola enters the final year of his deal, and with the Panthers’ salary cap tightening, he may become a cap casualty despite being a key piece of their playoff success.

Niko Mikkola Called For Boarding On This Hit From Behind 😬#NHL #Hockey #shorts #NHLshorts #NHLhighlights #StanleyCup #Panthers #FloridaPanthers #TampaBayLightning #Lightning

At 6-foot-6, Mikkola brings the kind of physical edge and defensive reliability that thrives in postseason hockey. He’s not flashy on the scoresheet, typically hovering around 20 to 25 points per season, but his value lies in his shutdown ability.

Over the past two seasons, Mikkola has posted a strong +23 rating, logged 335 hits (13th-most in the NHL), and led the Panthers in blocked shots with 212. He’s the type of stay-at-home defenseman every contending team wants come April.

Can Winnipeg Contend After Losing Key Players in Lowry, Ehlers?Examining the Winnipeg Jets roster following lineup losses like Adam Lowry, Nikolaj Ehlers and Mason Appleton.

That kind of production won’t go unnoticed. If Mikkola hits the open market, he’s expected to draw serious interest, and one team that could make a strong push is the Winnipeg Jets. With $10 million in projected cap space and more flexibility on the horizon, Winnipeg is in a solid position to add a dependable veteran like Mikkola.

The contracts of Gustav Nyquist and Tanner Pearson are likely coming off the books, freeing up $4.25 million, and another $5.5 million could be cleared if defensemen Luke Schenn, Colin Miller, and Logan Stanley aren’t re-signed.

That potential $9.75 million cushion gives the Jets plenty of wiggle room to make Mikkola an offer while still preserving cap space for other priorities. A low-cost depth signing or internal promotion could round out the blue line, and they’d still have the flexibility to explore extensions for key players like captain Adam Lowry, Kyle Connor, and potentially Jonathan Toews, depending on how his return to the NHL unfolds.

From a roster perspective, adding Mikkola would bolster what’s already one of the league’s top defensive units. The Jets have allowed the fewest goals in the NHL over the last two seasons, and putting a shot-blocking, physical defender like Mikkola on the third pairing would only strengthen that identity.

While defense isn't an urgent need in Winnipeg, the opportunity to add playoff-tested depth could be too good to pass up especially for a team with championship ambitions.

Could Winnipeg Target Pending Free Agent Martin Necas?Insider reports indicate the Avalanche feeling forward Martin Necas may not re-sign and could look to deal him.

The Buffalo Sabres are desperate to be a playoff team next season -- but they're in the NHL's toughest division -- the Atlantic Division. And their games against Atlantic teams will be crucial to help decided whether or not they'll be a playoff team next year. As such, we're analyzing Buffalo's chances against each Atlantic team in a THN.com series; We started alphabetically with the Boston Bruins, then turned our attention to the Detroit Red Wings, followed by the defending Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers.

Today, it's time for a look at another team that wants to be a playoff team next year -- the Montreal Canadiens. Do the Sabres have what it takes to edge out the Habs for a wild card berth next season? Look below for our best guess.

BUFFALO SABRES VS. MONTREAL CANADIENS

NEW CANADIENS PLAYERS: Noah Dobson, D; Kaapo Kahkonen, G; Joe Veleno, C; Zack Bolduc, LW; Sammy Blais, LW

2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 0-3-1, Canadiens 4-0-0

2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER:  October 20, at Montreal; January 15 at Buffalo; January 22 at Montreal; January 31 at Buffalo

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM?  The Canadiens made one of the biggest splashes of the current off-season when GM Kent Hughes acquired star defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders.  The deal instantly gave the Habs one of the NHL's best defense corps -- but they're going to have a tough test in the Sabres' equally deep group of blueliners.

However, it's not only the defense that's improved in Montreal. Hughes also fortified his group of forwards by trading for former St. Louis Blues winger Bolduc, and signing pluggers Veleno and Blais to help fill out the bottom-six group of forwards. All in all, the Habs now have a terrific core of young talent -- including captain Nick Suzuki and rookie-of-the-year D-man Lane Hutson -- and they're almost certainly going to battle for one of the wild card berths in the Eastern Conference.

Last season, the Canadiens had Buffalo's number, beating the Sabres in all four games the teams played against one another. And while things may be different in 2025-26, there's a distinct possibility Montreal once again dominates the Sabres.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Edition: Does Buffalo Have Any Hope Of Beating The Defending Stanley Cup-Champion Panthers?The Buffalo Sabres are under massive pressure to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 15 years. To do so, they're going to have to make the most of their games with their Atlantic Division rivals. And in this continuing THN.com series, we're analyzing Buffalo's chances against each of their seven Atlantic rivals.

All four of the games between the two teams will be played by the end of January, so from Buffalo's perspective, it's crucial that the Sabres set a tone by coming out of the gate strongly and poutting Montreal on notice that this year will be different than last year.

Indeed, if the teams in the Metropolitan Division send four teams to the playoffs this coming season, that will leave only four playoff spots for the Atlantic's teams to battle over. And it easily could come down to one or two standings points separating the playoff teams from the non-playoff teams.

In the macro picture, then, every game really does matter for Buffalo and Montreal. An overtime or shootout loss could dictate whether the Sabres end their 14-year playoff drought, or whether it will continue for another painful year. And if Buffalo once again loses all four games against the Habs, it's going to be very difficult for them to eke out enough points elsewhere to make up for it.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Edition: Can Buffalo Beat The Playoff-Desperate Detroit Red Wings?The Buffalo Sabres have completed most of their off-season moves this summer. We've examined the most-likely trade partners for Buffalo, and in this file, we're continuing our new THN.com series "Know Your Enemy, Sabres Edition". In this series, we're breaking down the Sabres' seven Atlantic Division rivals, focusing on what changes those seven teams have made, Buffalo's record against them last season, their games against each other this coming year, and our opinion of whether the team is one the Sabres should be beating next year.

The Canadiens are clearly a team on the rise. The Sabres want to be as well, but in the zero-sum industry they're operating in, both Buffalo and Montreal understand there's not room for everyone to be a playoff team next year. This past season was an anomaly in that five Atlantic teams made it into the post-season. If we were betting, we'd bet that wouldn't happen again next season.

So the challenge is clear for the Sabres -- avenge their four losses to the Canadiens by beating them more often than not this time around, or suffer a similar fate to the one they've been dealing with for nearly a decade-and-a-half.

It's that straightforward, and beating Montreal is going to be one of the keys, one way or another, to deciding how Buffalo's year plays out.

A former Montreal Canadiens forward is reportedly heading overseas.

According to Expressen's Johan Svensson, Djurgardens IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) are signing former Canadiens forward Charles Hudon.

Mer silly.
Det händer ännu mer grejer i Djurgården.
Enligt uppgifter till 🐝 har man en riktig poängmakare på ingång i truppen. https://t.co/JSD7lpmrFG

— Johan Svensson (@MrMadhawk) July 21, 2025

Hudon spent the entirety of this past season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Ontario Reign. In 67 games with the AHL squad in 2024-25, he posted 20 goals and 64 points in 67 games. This was after he had 20 goals and 54 points in 56 contests with the Reign in 2023-24. 

Hudon last played at the NHL level with the Colorado Avalanche during the 2022-23 season, where he recorded zero points, two penalty minutes, and a minus-2 rating in nine games. 

Hudon kicked off his career with the Canadiens, as they selected him with the 122nd overall pick of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. From there, he played five NHL seasons with the Canadiens from 2015-16 to 2019-20, posting 14 goals, 27 assists, 41 points, and 242 hits in 125 games.

Hudon's best season with Montreal was in 2017-18, as he set career highs with 10 goals, 20 assists, and 30 points in 72 games.

Insider Shares Big Update On Canadiens Star Trade TargetThe Montreal Canadiens are one of the teams that have been connected to Calgary Flames star forward Nazem Kadri. It is easy to understand, as the Canadiens are in need of a second-line center, and acquiring Kadri would provide them with just that.

Photo Credit: © Eric Bolte-Imagn Images