The Anaheim Ducks have one of the deepest and most potent young defensive cores in the NHL. A fully fleshed out and realized blueline is one of the most important ingredients (maybe the most important ingredient) to building a Stanley Cup championship roster.

A true number one defenseman to lead said blueline is necessary more often than not if a team has ambitions to hoist the greatest trophy in professional sports come June.

The 2023 Vegas Golden Knights had Alex Pietrangelo, the ’22 Colorado Avalanche had Cale Makar, the ’20 and ’21 Tampa Bay Lightning had Victor Hedman, the ‘19 St. Louis Blues also had Pietrangelo, etc. The exception in the last two seasons has been the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, who did it more by committee on their blueline with the trio of Aaron Ekblad-Gustav Forsling-Brandon Montour in 2024 and the trio of Ekblad-Forsling-Seth Jones in 2025.

The definition of what a “number one” defenseman is varies person-to-person, but to me, I define it as the defenseman who plays the most (and that a team often first sends over the boards) in every scenario: 5v5, power play, penalty kill, up a goal late, down a goal, etc.

The Ducks are in a position where they are attempting to put the finishing touches on their elongated rebuild and return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017-18 season, ending the third-longest playoff drought in the NHL.

The core pieces when the team is finally contending are all expected to already be within the organization, as they have potential depth and impact at every position from the crease out.

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The Ducks have assembled an impressive stable of young blueliners, including players projected to be on the NHL roster like Jackson LaCombe, Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov, and Drew Helleson, with Tristan Luneau on the bubble. Players like Stian Solberg, Tyson Hinds, Noah Warren, and Ian Moore are expected to have impact roles at the AHL level, while prospects like Lasse Boelius, Tarin Smith, and others wait in the wings.

Since the organization has been selecting near the top of the draft since 2019, they’ve spent most of their top picks on forwards, with Mintyukov representing the only top-ten pick on the blueline.

That leaves the question: when the Ducks are finally contending, who will be their top defenseman?

Jackson LaCombe

LaCombe (24) was the breakout player for the Ducks in 2024-25, after struggling through large portions of his rookie campaign (2023-24). He filled the role of “number-one defenseman” according to my previously stated definition, leading the team in TOI/G (22:18) and TOI on the power play (160:12), while finishing second in 5v5 TOI (1240:07) and TOI on the penalty kill (168:55).

He scored 43 points (14-29=43) in 75 games, and his 14 goals were the most by a Ducks’ defenseman since Lubomir Vishnovsky hit 18 in 2010-11.

In his sophomore NHL season, he was more polished in coverage and more difficult to play against in front of the net. He used his skating to close gaps and join rushes when he saw openings. He was still prone to the odd, dangerous turnover, but ultimately improved his puck management skills.

Pavel Mintyukov

As mentioned, Mintyukov (21) is the only defenseman on the Ducks roster or in the pipeline that the Ducks used a top-ten draft pick on (10th overall in 2022) and was the first draft pick made by Pat Verbeek as the general manager.

After a successful junior career in the OHL, where he won OHL Defenseman of the Year honors in 2023, Mintyukov made an immediate impact in the NHL during his rookie season for the Ducks in 2023-24. Though struggling with occasional coverage lapses, he was a neutral zone play-killer and seemed to have endless creativity and fearlessness in the offensive zone. He scored 28 points (4-24=28) in 63 games.

His capabilities were seemingly muted the following year in 2024-25, as he struggled to remain in the nightly lineup and opted for safer plays in attempts to do so. His impact was diminished as he worked to refine his defensive game, and his power play time was cut from 122:04 TOI in 2023-24 to just 60:52 TOI in 2024-25.

Mintyukov still has the capability and potential to become a dominant two-way force on both sides of the puck in the NHL, as he reads developing plays at a level beyond his years and can turn perfectly-timed defensive engagements into quick-strike offense.

Tristan Luneau

Luneau (21) is coming off an extremely impressive rookie season in the AHL, playing for the San Diego Gulls after battling through more injury adversity than most 21-year-old players.

He has every tool necessary to become a special two-way defenseman in the NHL and is becoming more polished with each passing game. He displays textbook engagement and angling skills defensively and is ever-active on the offensive end.

His most substantial attribute might be his competitive drive. He battled through an offseason knee surgery before his draft year, which caused his stock to slip into the second round (53rd in ’22) only to bounce back and win QMJHL Defenseman of the Year honors in 2022-23.

He barely played hockey in 2023-24 due to an infection in his knee that required surgery just before the 2024 World Junior Championship. He responded by scoring 52 points (9-43) in 59 games in his rookie AHL season, earning a spot on the AHL All-Rookie team.

Others in the Running

Stian Solberg (19) saw his role diminish in his first SHL Season in 2024-25 to the point where the Ducks decided to send him to the AHL to wrap up the season, where he scored five points (2-3=5) in ten games and will look to have an increased role in 2025-26. His trademark is his defensive prowess and physicality, but he may not have the offensive dynamism that others in the Ducks system have. However, he has flashed production at an impressive clip, especially at the 2025 World Championships.

Olen Zellweger (21) was an offensive dynamo in the CHL and was an AHL All-Star in 2023-24, totaling 37 points (12-25=37) in 44 games, before finishing his rookie campaign in the NHL with the Ducks. Like Mintyukov, his impact was diminished in 2024-25, opting for a simpler game to remain in the nightly lineup. His defensive game has come a long way, but he may be limited in that aspect, potentially keeping him from ever becoming a “number one” according to my subjective definition.

There’s always the potential for the Ducks to find their future number one defenseman from outside the organization. Free agency and the trade market aren’t typically places where teams find their top defensemen, but the Golden Knights were able to pluck Pietrangelo as a UFA, and Noah Dobson was recently traded from the New York Islanders to the Montreal Canadiens.

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Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling landed at No.12 on the NHL Network's top 20 defensemen list.

Forsling ranked sixth in the 2024 edition, dropping six spots in 2025. The 29-year-old finished the 2024-25 campaign with 11 goals and 31 points in 80 games. Forsling's offensive numbers dropped off a bit compared to his 37, 41 and 39 points from the years prior with Florida, but his ice time increased, and he faced tougher matchups each night due to the loss of depth.

Forsling received Norris Trophy votes in consecutive seasons, ranking ninth and 13th due to his stout defensive game. The Swedish defenseman might not produce points like Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes and others, but he is arguably the best defensive defenseman in the NHL.

"Since joining the Panthers four seasons ago, Forsling has been one of the best defensive defensemen while also blossoming on offense. He had 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 80 games last season to go along with a plus-33 rating while averaging 22:57 of ice time per game, and has had at least 30 points in four straight seasons. His plus-149 rating is tied with Toews over that span for best in the League. The 29-year-old has won the Cup each of the past two seasons with the Panthers," said the NHL Network.

Seth Jones and Aaron Ekblad were omitted from the list, but Jones was considered one of the first defenseman left just off the list. 

Ekblad was stellar defensively in the playoffs, but recorded just three goals and 33 points during the regular season. Jones' arrival was a major boost to the Panthers' blueline, racking up four goals and nine points in the playoffs while averaging 25:30 of ice time. 

Panthers' Sam Reinhart And Matthew Tkachuk Land On Exclusive Wingers ListFlorida Panthers forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart landed on the NHL Network's top 20 wingers list.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of Ottawa being awarded an NHL franchise. In this 1990 issue, culled from The Hockey News Archive, Bob McKenzie wrote about Ottawa's successful bid and the humble beginnings of the franchise. What better place to start an NHL dream than an arena dressing room, shooting the s*** after the game, and enjoying a few pints?

How can you not be romantic about hockey? – SW

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Dec 21, 1990/vol. 44, issue 15

A CAPITAL IDEA: SENATORS ELECTED TO SECOND TERM

BY BOB MCKENZIE

Bruce Firestone was the driving force behind Ottawa’s successful expansion bid. He’s described as a man of vision by friends and colleagues.

It was early on a Saturday morning back in the winter of 1988 when three pals were killing a little time after their weekly pickup game at Lyons Arena in Ottawa.

All the other players had left the dressing room and the three just sat there, quaffing a few beers and talking.

Randy Sexton remembers it well. So does Cyril Leeder. In fact, they’re not ever likely to forget what Bruce Firestone, their friend and employer, said to them that morning.

“We were just sitting there talking, like we always do,” said Sexton. “Bruce looked at us and said, ‘The NHL is going to expand soon. When it does, we should get a team for Ottawa. Think about it, it’s a natural.’

“I looked at Cyril. He looked at me. And you should know that Bruce isn’t the kind of guy who plays practical jokes. He was serious.”

Was he ever.

Firestone, the 38-year-old chairman and chief executive officer of Terrace Investments Ltd., dared to dream the impossible dream. And on Dec. 6, it all came true.

The NHL awarded a conditional NHL expansion franchise to the Terrace group for the city of Ottawa to begin play for the 1992-93 season.

“I was summoned for a 1 o’clock meeting,” Firestone said. “They brought us down the fire escape and through the kitchen. I had two speeches ready. One for concession, one for acceptance. I didn’t know what to expect.

“I looked down in front of me and there were two words on a piece of paper, Tampa and Ottawa, and frankly, I just burst into tears. I haven’t done that since I was a little boy.”

Firestone and his executive team of Leeder, the president, and Sexton, the vice president, overcame tremendous odds. First, it seemed the NHL wasn’t keen on expanding into Canada. Second, if it did, Hamilton’s bid was perceived by many as more attractive.

The NHL governors didn’t think so. They voted unanimously in favor of the Terrace bid.

Next NHL Expansion Fee May Be 40 Times More Than The Ottawa Senators PaidNHL expansion fees have come a long way since the humble beginnings of the Ottawa Senators. When the Sens entered the league in the early '90s, the cost for an entire franchise was reported at the time as $50 million.

“I would have to thank the Canadian governors,” Firestone said. “They pushed hard for the league to take a Canadian team and if they hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t have got the franchise.”

“I don’t think there was any one thing that won it for us,” said Sexton, 31, a former NCAA hockey player at St. Lawrence University who has an MBA from Clarkson.

“We just worked hard. Our sincerity and commitment came to the surface. And we have a great market. And Bruce Firestone. He’s a very shrewd man, a very solid guy.”

Leeder, also 31, a chartered accountant and graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton, said none of it would have been possible if not for Firestone, known to his friends and colleagues as a visionary and “big idea man.” Now, he’s known to most as the man responsible for bringing the NHL back to Ottawa after a 57-year absence.

“How would I describe him?” Leeder said. “I would borrow a line I heard our mayor (Jim Durrell) use the other day: ‘Bruce Firestone is the smartest man I have ever met.’ That about sums it up.”

Firestone attended Ashbury College, a local private school, before graduating from McGill University with a masters degree in engineering. He earned his PhD in urban economics at the University of New South Wales in Australia.

In 1982, he took over the family business (Terrace), which his father, Jack, founded in 1956.

Firestone is married and has five children. He’s intense in a quiet, controlled manner.

There’s not much Terrace did wrong in its two-year campaign to woo the NHL. Firestone took a first-class approach in every way, paying incredible attention to every detail. No bid submitted by any group was as thorough or as professionally prepared.

Terrace was able to sell the NHL on an area few thought could support pro hockey.

“A lot of people don’t realize we have a big market,” Sexton said. “There are more than 900,000 people in Ottawa and, within a one-hour’s drive radius, there are 1.7 million.

“And it’s a rich market, too. You need a rich market for pro sports. We attended a game at the Chicago Stadium and sat right behind the players’ bench. The tickets were $39.50 each. Buy two tickets, park, eat and pay for the babysitter and you’re talking well over $100 for a night’s entertainment. Our demographics in that area are good.

“The corporate market in Ottawa is great, too. Our population is increasing at the same time civil service jobs are decreasing. That tells you more private sector business is here than ever before.”

Terrace owns 600 acres of land in the western suburb of Kanata. Almost 100 is targeted for the building of the 20,000-seat Palladium, although rezoning of the land from agriculture to commercial is hung up at the Ontario Municipal Board level.

Ottawa Senators Reach Agreement To Buy Land At LeBreton, Move Closer To New ArenaThe Ottawa Senators have taken another big step toward a new arena close to downtown.

NHL governors expressed some concern about the rezoning issue, but Firestone convinced them it is part of the normal procedure. Terrace also wants to rezone the other 500 acres and develop it for high-density commercial and residential use.

Skeptics insist the plan to court the NHL was little more than a device to get the entire area rezoned and developed. Sexton, however, said the arena will be built regardless of what happens with the other land and one development didn’t depend on the other.

Terrace said it will have majority interest in both the hockey club and the arena, although as much as 49 per cent of both may be held by minority investors. Terrace has declined to identify them, but the NHL was obviously satisfied.

The next order of business for Terrace is to hire a team president. Firestone and Leeder will be involved with the Senators, but their main function will be with the land development company. Sexton, however, may spend more time on hockey business matters.

“We’ve already interviewed some people for the president’s job,” Sexton said. “Our president will be a businessman who has some hockey experience. He will then hire his team, which would include a vice president/GM, vice president of marketing and so on.

“It’s funny. We’ve worked so hard on this whole project for almost two years. And, really, the job is just beginning.”

By Bob McKenzie
The Hockey News

More Sens Headlines:

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Canadian former NHL forwards Ryan Spooner and Nick Merkley have signed one-year contracts to play for the Shanghai Dragons, the Chinese-based KHL club announced on Saturday.

Also signed on Saturday were goaltender goaltender Andrei Kareyev, defenseman Doyle Somberby and forward Nikita Popugayev.

“Ryan Spooner is no stranger to the KHL and his strengths are well known: elite skating, speed, hockey IQ and a team-first mentality,” said Dragons CEO Igor Varitsky. “He can ignite the offense and move the puck deep into the offensive zone, contributing both at even strength and on the power play.”

Spooner, 33, was chosen in the second round, 45th overall, by the Boston Bruins in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Between 2012 and 2019, he played 325 NHL regular season games for the Bruins, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks, recording 167 points and 63 penalty minutes. He also had two points in four playoff games for Boston in 2017.

Since 2019, he’s played in the KHL for all but two games for HC Lugano in Switzerland. He has 271 points in 336 KHL regular-season and playoff games for Dinamo Minsk and Avangard Omsk.

2015 first-rounder Nick Merkley signs with KHL’s Avtomobilist YekaterinburgCanadian forward Nick Merkley, 27, has signed a two-year contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, the KHL club recently announced. For the past two seasons, Merkley played for Dinamo Minsk, the KHL’s Belarusian-based club.

“As for Nick Merkley, he is a skilled right-handed forward with speed and a scorer’s touch,” said Varitsky.

Merkley, 28, was drafted 30th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Arizona Coyotes.

Between 2017 and 2022, Merkley recorded 15 points in 41 NHL games for the Coyotes, New Jersey Devils and San Jose Sharks. He also had 13 points in 19 games for Finnish Liiga club Ässät Pori early in the 2020-21 season before the NHL belatedly commenced its season amid Covid restrictions.

Over the past three KHL seasons for Dinamo Minsk and Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, Merkley has 101 points in 209 regular-season and playoff games.

Jake Chelios Retires From Chinese KHL Team Defenseman Jake Chelios, 34, has announced his retirement via video on the Instagram page of the Chinese-based KHL club that he’s played for the past six seasons.

It’s been a busy week for the Chinese-based KHL club, which was previously known as Kunlun Red Star but is undergoing a major rebranding.

On Monday, defenseman Jake Chelios announced his retirement. On Wednesday, the club announced the signing of new head coach Gerard Gallant, and on Friday the club announced the signings of five other players, including Slovak Olympic bronze-medal-winning goaltender Patrik Rybar.

The Kunlun-Shanghai franchise has played its home games in suburban Moscow since early 2020 and will play in St. Petersburg this season, but plans to return to China in either 2026 or 2027.

Gerard Gallant Takes Over KHL’s Shanghai Dragons Gerard Gallant is the new head coach of the Shanghai Dragons, the KHL club announced on Wednesday.

While some fans may look at Logan Stankoven’s eight-year, $48 million contract extension with the Carolina Hurricanes as a hefty financial commitment, it should be considered a steal. 

By giving Stankoven this contract extension, the Hurricanes are betting on his potential and hoping his play will continue to improve over time.

Throughout his tenure with the Dallas Stars and since being traded to the Hurricanes as part of the Mikko Rantanen deal, Stankoven has shown a ton of promise, as he clearly has the makings to blossom into an impactful top-six forward in the NHL and maybe even more.  

The 22-year-old forward has only played one full season in the NHL, so it’s not a knock on him that he hasn’t fully broken out yet. 

Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky is jumping the gun on giving Stankoven a long-term commitment since he believes that he can be a cornerstone piece in Carolina. 

“From the moment he arrived in Raleigh, it was clear to us that Logan was a Hurricane," Tulsky said. "We're thrilled that he agrees, and is committed to being a big part of this organization long term.”

Jaccob Slavin Ranks As 8th-Best Defenseman In The NHL Network's List In the NHL Network’s latest list of the ‘Top-20 players right now’, Jaccob Slavin ranked as the eighth-best defenseman. 

This past season, Stankoven recorded 14 goals, 24 assists, and 38 points in 78 games while averaging 15:05 minutes. 

Tulsky is betting on Stankoven’s future, and that bet could very well pay off substantially.

The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results. 

Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 40 NHL games. 

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#27 - Tyler Kopff - F (Brown - NCAA, Rochester - AHL)

It is a fairly unusual experience for the Sabres to dip into the undrafted free agent market, since they have traditionally kept most of their draft picks and concentrated on signing and developing them, but with the club beginning to look for bigger players, the club signed undrafted college forward Tyler Kopff. 

The Ridgewood, NJ native took a circuitous route to the NCAA after playing his minor and high school hockey in New Jersey, opting to play two years in the BCHL for Coquitlam before heading to Brown. After scoring 18 points as a freshman in the Ivy League, the 22-year-old had 28 points (9 goals, 19 assists) in 32 games as a sophomore. After the Bears season was completed, the 6’4”, 205 lb. forward signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Buffalo and finished the season with AHL Rochester, posting an assist in six games. 

Considered a two-way forward with the size to be a power forward as a professional, Kopff will likely get a significant opportunity with the Amerks, since the club has undergone a purge of some long time veterans like Mason Jobst and Brett Murray from their roster.  

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

Now, possibly more than ever before, are No.1 defenseman as valuable as they are in the NHL. So much so that there is a strong belief that a team needs a No.1 defenseman or incredible depth to win the Stanley Cup. 

The No.1 defenseman can come in different forms. Some, like Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, are offensive dynamos who can be trusted to play strong defensive games. Others, like Gustav Forsling or Miro Heiskanen, can provide plenty of offense, but their value comes from their ability to shut down their opponents' top players. 

With the game of hockey always evolving, the importance of certain positions change, and currently, the value of defenseman might be considered the second most important position after centers. 

Here are five NHL defenseman with the most to prove in the 2025-26 season.

Adam Fox, New York Rangers

Fox is a Norris Trophy winner who’s led the New York Rangers and its blueline on multiple deep playoff runs. The 2024-25 season may have been Fox’s worst season as an NHL player, and it’s no surprise that the Rangers followed suit. 

His offensive numbers were great, scoring 10 goals and 61 points in 71 games, but the defensive side of the puck is where the 27-year-old struggled. Throughout his career, he’s been consistent on both sides of the puck, but it was a real struggle last year. Fox nearly lost his spot on Team USA during the 4 Nations Face-Off, and he played the fewest minutes among American defensemen in the final. 

The Rangers signed Vladislav Gavrikov to a long-term deal this off-season, providing Fox with a top-end defense partner. The Rangers need Fox to bounce back if they have any hope of making the playoffs.

Five NHL Centers With The Most To Prove In 2025-26What makes sports, and hockey specifically, unique and intriguing are storylines. In the NHL, it's the off-ice drama, milestone-chasing and pursuit of the Stanley Cup.

Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs

Like Fox, the 2024-25 season was a poor campaign for the Maple Leafs defenseman. He was taken off the top power play unit several times, first replaced by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, before Mitch Marner quarterbacked the top unit with five forwards. With Marner off to Vegas, the Leafs need more from their 31-year-old alternate captain.

Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev will continue to take on the bulk of the tough matchups, and a full season playing alongside Brandon Carlo should put Rielly in a better situation to produce offense.

Rielly has been included in plenty of trade speculation, and if he doesn’t prove he can be the top-earning defenseman on the Leafs, the talks will only intensify. 

Bowen Byram, Buffalo Sabres

Byram was finally healthy last season, playing in all 82 games and setting a career high in points with 38. He averaged a career-high in ice time as well and began to show that he can play as a top-four defenseman.

When drafted to the Colorado Avalanche fourth overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, the vision was that he and Makar would lead the Avs' blueline for years to come. Injuries hampered his opportunities, and he was moved to the Sabres. He’s been solid since joining the Sabres, yet the 24-year-old remains in serious trade talks.

Byram and the Sabres agreed to a two-year contract extension in the off-season, and it’s approaching the time where Byram needs to prove he is a top-four caliber defenseman. 

Bowen Byram Extension A Rare 'W' For The SabresYeah, you know things are lean when a two-year bridge deal for a young defenseman is something to celebrate. But that's where we are with the Buffalo Sabres these days.

Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins

Karlsson remains in the pursuit of a Stanley Cup, and unless something drastic were to occur, it’s not going to happen in Pittsburgh. Karlsson is entering year seven of an eight-year, $11.5 million contract, a hefty price tag for a 35-year-old.

His first two seasons with the Penguins followed his 100-point campaign, and while it was understood that he wouldn’t reach those heights again, his consecutive 50-point seasons are respectable. 

Karlsson could be traded, but he’ll have to prove to GMs around the NHL that he can be both productive and sound enough defensively to warrant trading for a cap hit that high. 

Five NHL Wingers With The Most To Prove In 2025-26As is the case in every NHL season, certain players are coming in with something to prove. Whether it’s to justify a pay raise or a trade or to bounce back from a subpar year, some players have every motivation to improve on their results at any given time.

Noah Dobson, Montreal Canadiens

Dobson never looked settled in his final season with the New York Islanders, and trade rumors began to pick up steam before the Islanders won the lottery and selected Matthew Schaefer. He finished the season with 10 goals and 39 points in 71 games, well below his 70 points in 79 games the season prior.

The 25-year-old is joining a Canadiens franchise with high expectations after making the playoffs last year. Although there are some questions about how he’ll fit in Montreal with Lane Hutson, the expectation is that Dobson performs to a very high level. 

Sharing power play time with Hutson may make it difficult for Dobson to record 70 points, but 40-50 points seems like the line Dobson needs to hit. 

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NHL Network revealed their Quarter Century Team for the league as a whole. Anyone who played from January 1, 2000, to the present was eligible to be included on the list. 

As expected, there is a nice mix of players from the early part of this era and players who are still active in the NHL. 

Two Chicago Blackhawks are on the list, as Patrick Kane made it in the forward group and Duncan Keith was one of the defensemen. 

NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) on XIntroducing the NHL Network's Quarter Century Team!

Kane is still playing in the NHL as a member of the Detroit Red Wings, but most of what he did that earned him a spot on this list came with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Kane has 492 goals, 851 assists, and 1343 points in 1302 games played. To go with his video game stats are three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe Trophy, a Hart Trophy, and a Calder Trophy. He will be a first ballot Hall of Famer when he's done. 

The most impressive part about Kane is that he elevated his play once he got to the playoffs. The brighter the lights, the better Kane played. 

As for Keith, he retired after playing one year with the Edmonton Oilers in 2021-22. Before that, 16 years came and went with the Chicago Blackhawks. 

As a defenseman, he played in 1256 games where he scored 106 goals and had 540 assists for 646 points. Like Kane, he also won the Stanley Cup three times and the Conn Smythe once. Keith won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL twice in an era where there were tons of elite defenders.

Keith is already in the Hall of Fame, which was never in doubt. Now, he waits to get into the Blackhawks Hall of Fame in addition to possibly having his number retired. 

The 2009-2017 era for Chicago was the best in franchise history. Having two guys on this list is impressive, considering the talent that exists around the league. You know the team is deep when stars like Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa didn't crack the lineup. 

Kane and Keith were just a tick more productive throughout their years. With all the hardware and statistics that are next to their names, they are well deserving of this honor. 

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

The question touched a Maven's Roundtable nerve and the reactions have been intense. So I repeat: HOW TOUGH ARE THE RANGERS?

"That remains to be seen the kind of toughness the blueline additions will bring," ponders Guardians Of The Goal author George Grimm. "During the season, Cuylle, Rempe, Trocheck and Carrick should provide enough regular season toughness to get by.

"For the playoffs, however, the Rangers will need more muscle if they hope to advance past the opening round. (NOTE: FIRST THEY HAVE TO GET IN!) The club still needs that smart, tough player that the opposition fears."

New Roundtable voice Larry Hirsch knows toughness from covering the Tampa Bay Lightning's double-Cup run.

"In today's game," says Hirsch, "toughness is better gauged by how a player plays. Is he tough enough to go to the front of the net, or block shots or give a tough check or fight to get his team going. Are the Rangers tough enough? NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! Frankly, I fear that they are not close to being relevant, no matter who's behind the bench.

"But, wait;, let's see how Mike Sullivan coaches. The best teams are those that can adjust to play the other teams on the way they can play. Florida and Tampa Bay showed exactly that. Result: Back to back Stanley Cups."

Charter Roundtable member Alan Greenberg has covered the Panthers for decades. Now writing good stuff for Florida Hockey Now, Big Al grew up a Rangers' fan in Brooklyn. Thus, he has dual hockey citizenship.

"The Rangers lost toughness with Lindgren and Trouba gone, despite the criticism of their play," Greenberg asserts. "Rempe, Edstrom and Cuylle are holdovers, so nothing added. Rempe and Edstrom need more minutes to prove themselves. 

"The only one added is Miller – and we'll see how that works. Sitting here in Florida, one has to admire the combo of Tkachuk, Bennett and Marchand. Nasty, intimidating and effective." Then, a pause: "That's why they have back-to-back Cups!"   

This from veteran – eminent, I might add – NHL columnist-plus Patrick Hoffman: "The Blueshirts have players who can play tough; such as Vincent Trocheck, Matt Rempe, Will Cuylle, Sam Carrick. J.T. Miller and Braden Schneider; that's a lot of physical hockey.

The Gory Aftereffects Of The Rangers Greatest BrawlThe greatest mass fight in history between the Canadiens and Rangers in Old Madison Square Garden (March 16, 1947) had major – and very nasty – repercussions.

"But the real question is this: can they play that way consistently enough to be an effective and winning team? They did not do it last season and certainly didn't do it against the Panthers in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals. I say the jury is still out. 

They still are not tougher than the Panthers and that could be a problem next spring, if the Rangers get into the playoffs."

The Old Maestro, David Perlmutter, the most succinct Roundtable authority, snaps, "The Rangers are neither big enough, nor tough enough." And leaves it at that. (I said "succinct," didn't I? What did you expect, a book?)

My 19-year-old hockey-playing grandson counters, "Perlmutter is wrong. The Rangers have the NHL's two biggest (6-8) players in Rempe and Edstrom, plus Gavrikov will add to Schneider's toughness on defense."

'Nuff said. Here's The Maven's conclusion: The Rangers' weakness – as in weak – is that they don't have Tkachuk (either one), Bennett nor  Marchand. Did I forget someone? Of course I did:

And Paul Maurice behind the bench!

The final two teams are left in The Hockey News’ NHL summer splash rankings, which rank the off-seasons of every NHL team, and when you’re this high on the list, you’ve done a lot of things right.

Our rankings, which break down every team’s off-season additions, departures, hirings and firings, resulted in teams fitting into one of three areas: off-seasons that have improved the team, off-seasons that have kept the team largely the same, and off-seasons that have made the team worse. Moving from worst off-seasons to best off-seasons, we’re now well past the point where we’re focused on teams that have regressed or stayed the same. 

And in this specific file, we’re looking at the No. 2 team in our rankings, the defending, back-to-back Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers,

Many thought the Panthers would have to strip away talent due to salary cap constrictions, but the primary reason they’re in second place on our summer splash list is the fact that they were able to keep things largely together. You needn’t make many additions when you’ve got a dynasty-in-the-making, so it’s understandable why Florida bent over backward to keep the gang together.

Additions

Nolan Foote (LW), Jeff Petry (D), Daniil Tarasov (G)

The Breakdown: The Panthers went all-in for their second straight Cup win last season, acquiring veteran left winger Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline. But while many presumed Marchand would be a pure rental and only a Panther for less than half of a season, Florida GM Bill Zito found a way to keep Marchand around for the long term, signing him to a six-year contract this summer.

Similarly, people wondered if the Panthers could hold onto UFAs Sam Bennett and defenseman Aaron Ekblad, but not only did Zito manage to do that, he also re-signed Marchand, Ekblad, and Bennett to deals that had a combined salary cap hit of $19.35 million. That’s terrific asset management, and that’s the primary reason we’ve got Florida ranked second overall on this list.

The Panthers did make a couple additions, first signing former Detroit Red Wings blueliner Jeff Petry to a low-cost, decent-reward $775,000 one-year contract. The 37-year-old Petry is far from his peak as a 40-point-producing D-man, but Florida has excelled at making new acquisitions thrive, and as a depth blueliner, Petry could have a late-career renewal as a Panther.

The other notable addition is former Columbus Blue Jackets netminder Tarasov, who effectively replaces Vitek Vanecek as Sergei Bobrovsky's understudy. Tarasov’s numbers (including a 3.54 goals-against average and .881 save percentage) were sub-par, but so was the Blue Jackets team in front of him. The 36-year-old Bobrovsky is still going to get the lion’s share of the work in Florida’s net, but it will be intriguing to see how they work Tarasov into the team dynamic.

Departures

Jesse Puljujarvi (RW), Nico Sturm (C), Nate Schmidt (D), Vitek Vanecek (G)

The Breakdown: Go through the rosters of teams that have won Cups, and see the type of roster turnover those teams go through in the immediate years following winning a championship. You’d find that most teams, for one reason or another, are forced to send at least a handful of players packing. 

But this hasn’t been the case with Florida this summer. Zito has conducted a masterclass in roster retention, and that has resulted in losing only two Panthers players who appeared in playoff action last spring: veteran defenseman Schmidt, who averaged only 16:32 of ice time as a third-tier blueliner, and forward Sturm, who averaged just 8:59 of ice time in eight playoff games for Florida.

So, the Panthers have found a way to bring back 95 percent of their regular players and set themselves up for another deep playoff run next spring. Zito couldn’t have done a better job keeping the band together, and having to part ways only with two fringe players underscores what a great job Zito is doing as GM.

The Bottom Line

When we put these summer splash rankings together, THN.com’s writers and editors agreed that we weren’t going to reward teams simply for making a slew of changes. We wanted the big picture teams that painted this summer to dictate where we slotted a team in on this list, and that’s why the Panthers are ranked ahead of all but one of their 31 counterparts.

Zito has yet to win a Jim Gregory Award as the NHL’s best GM, but you’d have to think that will change after the recent success Zito has had. He found a way to utilize all his cap space by locking up UFAs when those UFAs had all the leverage. This has proven to be a problem for Zito’s GM colleagues, so it isn’t an understatement to note Zito is performing on another level right now.

It’s still going to be an uphill climb for the Panthers to win three straight Cups, but you can’t say Zito hasn’t given his players and Florida coach Paul Maurice all the tools they’ll need to make a deep playoff push and win it all. When few people believed Zito would re-sign all of Marchand, Ekblad and Bennett, he went out and did exactly that. And for that reason, the Panthers deserve to be second-overall on our summer splash list. Only one team had a better off-season, and that’s a credit to Zito & Co..

Summer Splash Rankings

2. Florida Panthers

3. Vegas Golden Knights

4. Carolina Hurricanes

5. Anaheim Ducks

6. Philadelphia Flyers

7. Vancouver Canucks

8. San Jose Sharks

9. Utah Mammoth

10. New York Rangers

11. Detroit Red Wings

12. New Jersey Devils

13. St. Louis Blues

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

15. Colorado Avalanche

16. Ottawa Senators

17. Boston Bruins

18. Edmonton Oilers

19. Minnesota Wild

20. Seattle Kraken

21. Columbus Blue Jackets

22. Washington Capitals

23. Nashville Predators

24. New York Islanders

25. Tampa Bay Lightning

26. Toronto Maple Leafs

27. Dallas Stars

28. Calgary Flames

29. Los Angeles Kings

30. Winnipeg Jets

31. Chicago Blackhawks

32. Buffalo Sabres

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The Detroit Red Wings have come to terms with St. Malo product Travis Hamonic on a one-year contract. 

The 34-year-old will make an even $1 million for the 2025-26 season in Motor City, operating under general manager Steve Yzerman and head coach Todd McLellan. 

Hamonic, who spent the past four seasons in Ottawa, has seen his numbers suffer over his time in the nation's capital, as his goal and point total have declined, while his plus-minus has also inflated over the past few seasons. 

A veteran of 900 career games, Hamonic will look to revitalize things on the back-end in Detroit, which will be his fifth NHL team.

After spending seven years to start his career on the Island, the six-foot, 200-pound defender will look to find his way back to the postseason in Detroit after failing to crack the playoffs since the 2018-19 season with Calgary. Hamonic has only made it to the postseason three times in his 15-year career. 

Hamonic joins Jacob Bernard-Docker, James van Riemsdyk, Mason Appleton, Ian Mitchell and John Gibson as new faces in the winged wheel for 2025-26.

The Florida Panthers have done a remarkable job building a roster that will keep the team contending for the Stanley Cup for years to come.

That’s coming on the heels of back-to-back Stanley Cup victories and three straight Final appearances.

With such a formidable roster that’s locked up for the foreseeable future, THN Florida has been examining current Panthers players who could someday find their jersey numbers hanging in the rafters.

Today we’ll take a look at a man who has only played for the Panthers, and who could very well end up staying with Florida for the entirety of his career.

We’re talking about defenseman Aaron Ekblad.

Florida selected Ekblad with the first overall selection at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He was only the second player that the Panthers have ever taken number one in the draft, following defenseman Ed Jovanovski, who was taken all the way back in 1994.

Ekblad immediately started at the NHL level with the Panthers as a fresh faced 18-year-old, putting up an impressive 12 goals and 39 points during his rookie campaign.

Most Panthers fans probably have to do a double take when realizing that Ekblad, despite already having played 11 seasons in the NHL, is still only 29 years old.

As he prepares to enter his 12th year with the Cats, Ekblad finds himself climbing the charts on several of Florida’s all-time statistical categories.

In terms of games played, Ekblad’s 732 only trail fellow Panthers lifer Sasha Barkov, who came into the league one year before Ekblad and has played 804 games with the Cats.

Regarding defensemen, Ekblad leads all Florida blueliners in goals, assists, games played, points, shots, power play goals and game-winning goals.

He’s third on Florida’s all-time assists list, behind Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, and fifth in total points, trailing Barkov, Huberdeau, Olli Jokinen and Stephen Weiss.

Last month, Ekblad signed an eight-year extension with the Panthers that will keep him in South Florida through the 2022-23 NHL season.

That means by the time he hangs up his skates, Ekblad will hold team defensive records that could stand for a long, long time.

Ekblad made it very clear in the time leading up to the offseason that despite being an unrestricted free agent, his only intent was to re-sign with Florida, and he took less money in order to do so.

It’s hard to imagine after playing nearly two full decades in a Panthers sweater, that Ekblad wouldn’t be immortalized in the franchise’s history by having his number retired.

He’s already carved out a special place for himself in team history, and that legend is only going to grow as he plays out his deal on a team that should continue competing for Stanley Cups.

Ekblad may not get as much credit for it as he deserves, but this guy is as ‘Panthers’ as anyone has been in the team’s history.

He deserves recognition for it, and someday, the team will likely make sure he absolutely gets it.

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Photo caption: Jan 26, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) warms up before a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)

When it comes to hockey, Montreal is a city that never sleeps. All through the summer, we’ve seen footage coming out of the Montreal Canadiens’ training facility in Brossard of players training hard through the dog days of Summer. There’s been plenty of talk about Ivan Demidov spending the summer in his new hometown and a lot of speculation about Kirby Dach’s health status. Earlier this week, GM Kent Hughes spoke to NHL.com about both players, and what he had to say was interesting.

Speaking about Russian rookie Demidov, the man in charge praised his work ethic, saying the youngster has been skating in Brossard twice a day, five times a week, adding that he’s been trying to keep him off the ice. It sounds like Hughes has another Lane Hutson on his hands. Last season, the now sophomore defenseman was spending so much time on the ice that the Canadiens had to forbid him to skate for him to take a day off when the rest of the team wasn’t skating.

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The GM also added he felt he could see Demidov start to figure the NHL game out during the playoffs when it came to knowing how much time he had, or didn’t have, to make a play. That’s undoubtedly an encouraging sign for a player who has only had seven games of NHL hockey under his belt. Despite being very young and green, you can expect Demidov to slide into a top-six pair when the puck drops on the 2025-26 season.

Speaking of the top six, Hughes also briefly talked about Dach’s health status and mentioned the hope is that the center will be ready to go at the start of the season or early in the fall. While there was no promise made about him being prepared to start the upcoming season, in the Canadiens’ press release about his injury, it was mentioned that he was expected to be ready for the start of the 2025-26 campaign.

As we’ve discussed earlier this offseason, coming back from a second ACL injury is a big deal, and Canadiens fans don’t have to look very far to realize that. Former Habs blueliner Andrei Markov had to go under the knife twice for this same injury, and the road to recovery was a long one.

Dach will be ready when he is ready, but at this stage, it’s important not to rush him back and allow the knee to heal properly if the Canadiens want to see and get the very best out of the 24-year-old.

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Former New Jersey Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid is aiming for an NHL comeback this season.

The 36-year-old netminder, listed at six-foot-two, first broke into the league in 2012-13 after going undrafted. He spent his first six seasons with the Devils before moving on to the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, and most recently the Colorado Avalanche in 2022-23.

Though he appeared in just one NHL game over his last three seasons, Kinkaid is making noise again thanks to an impressive showing at this summer’s 3ICE 3-on-3 tournament, held at the Florida Panthers’ practice facility. Playing with 3ICE Buffalo, he turned aside 30 shots across two wins, including a highlight-reel save on a two-on-one breakaway, to help his team secure the tournament’s No. 1 seed.

Buffalo now heads into the final four championship this week, where they’ll face Minnesota. A win would set up a matchup against either NY/NJ or Tennessee.

“I knew we needed to win, and I knew I needed to be dialed in early,” Kinkaid told NHL.com following his performance.

Last season, Kinkaid suited up in the ECHL with the Savannah Ghost Pirates, posting a .893 save percentage in 32 games after several years bouncing between AHL teams. In his NHL career, he has appeared in 169 games with a career .905 save percentage.

Now, his focus is squarely on returning to the league. “Right now, I just want to keep playing. We’ll see what happens,” Kinkaid said. “This is a great opportunity to show I still have it. My body is holding up very well. I am 36, but I am just trying to prolong my career because once it’s done, it’s done. [3ICE] has given me the chance to keep playing, to showcase that I still have gas left in the tank. It has been a tough couple of years just bouncing around, but hopefully someone calls and I get the chance to play again this season.”

Kinkaid remains unsigned heading into 2025-26 but is open to any opportunity. “Any opportunity is fine with me,” he added.