Category: Ice Hockey

We have a fight on day one of Toronto Maple Leafs development camp.

Maple Leafs 2025 seventh-round pick Matthew Hlacar and Toronto Marlies signed Rhett Parsons dropped the gloves three-quarters of the way through the first day of Toronto's development camp. Each of the players got in a few punches before they had to be separated by other camp invitees.

"Just compete," Parsons said of why the two dropped the gloves. "Just going into a battle drill, that's what I pride my game after. I know we're all teammates off the ice and love the guy, love every teammate here, but when you're in a battle drill, just stuff like that happens. But total respect to him, no hard feelings off the ice."

Parsons, a defenseman with the ECHL's Cincinnati Cyclones last season, gave a few cross-checks to the back of Hlacar before both players dropped the gloves. "I kind of like to get under guys' skin, but no hard feelings, and like I said, these are all my teammates, I'm not trying to hurt anyone out there," added Parsons.

"It was just two guys going hard," said Hlacar after the first session of Toronto's development camp. "Tempers flare, and it happens. But it's all good. I talked to him after and we're fine. It is what it is."

Why Toronto-Born Michael Pezzetta Signed A Two-Year Contract With Maple Leafs: 'I Couldn't Pass Up On That'Michael Pezzetta is living his childhood dream.

Hlacar was Toronto's seventh-round selection (217th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft. He spent last season with the OHL's Kitchener Rangers, scoring seven goals and one assist in 43 games. The 19-year-old calls himself someone who plays hard and tries to do his own thing, adding, "I don't really try to be an enforcer, tough. I just kind of play hockey, play hard, and whatever happens, happens."

Born an hour outside of Toronto in Binbrook, Ontario, Hlacar grew up a Maple Leafs fan. His favorite player when he was younger? Phil Kessel. After being drafted by Toronto, Hlacar said he received a few text messages from current players, like John Tavares and Auston Matthews.

"I was just like, wow, this is for real now," he chuckled when asked what it was like when he saw those messages pop up.

No New Contract From Maple Leafs Was ‘Tough,’ Says Pontus HolmbergPontus Holmberg spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since signing a new two-year contract worth $1.55 million per season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Although he seemed happy to be getting a raise with his new NHL team, he did describe the emotions of the past few days that saw his former club not tender him a qualifying offer.

Toronto's development runs from Thursday to Saturday, with a total of 48 players participating in the three-day-long event. The prospects have already spent several days in Toronto doing off-ice activities and are now beginning the on-ice portion of the camp.

From Claude Giroux to J.G. Pageau, or from Marc Methot to Mark Borowiecki, Ottawa Senators fans have always had a soft spot for the hometown players who go to battle for their local NHL team.

After a brilliant career with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, Embrun’s Jackson Parsons still has a long way to go, but the 2025 CHL Goaltender of the Year is now officially part of his hometown team. Parsons has signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Senators, and was all smiles on Wednesday at day one of development camp.

"It's unbelievable," Parsons said on the club's website. "Obviously, I played a lot of minor hockey here, so it's bringing back old memories. It's the coolest feeling in the world, putting this jersey on.

"Obviously, I grew up a Sens fan. All my buddies were Sens fans. So it's unbelievable."

Parsons went undrafted last weekend, despite going 37-12-3 with a 2.24 goals-against average, a .920 save percentage, and being named the CHL and OHL Goaltender of the Year.

Parsons played his local AAA hockey with the Eastern Ontario Wild, CIHA Voyageurs, and the Cornwall Colts. He even played a few games with the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Char-Lan Rebels. Parsons now joins Kitchener teammates Matt Andonovski and Luke Ellinas as young players trying to make a splash in the Sens' prospect pool.

If everything goes according to plan, his next step will be the American Hockey League, trying to win the opening alongside the B-Sens' probable number one, Mads Sogaard.

“I had a pretty good end to my junior career in Kitchener,” Parsons said. “Obviously, we couldn't get it done against London. But I mean, moving on to here, obviously, the goal is to play pro hockey and play at a high level. So obviously, I'm looking to make a name for myself in the AHL and go from there.”

Parsons says as far as the development camp goes this week, he’s just trying to soak everything in with a new organization, learning some of their key terms and putting them to work.

Finally, when asked about his favourite all-time Senators memory growing up, he didn’t hesitate, picking his answer out of the air like a one-timer from the high slot.

“Oh, probably, like, The Hamburglar. I was like 10 years old when that stuff was happening and it was like, this is crazy. Like, this is so cool. Like, I wanna be there. So, it's sweet.”

It's often said that for hockey fans, the golden age of hockey is whoever you were watching when you were 10 years old. For Parsons, his golden age may have kick-started a future NHL career.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
Image credit: Ottawa Senators website

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When Ryan Roobroeck went second overall to Niagara in the 2023 OHL draft, the IceDogs were in a bad spot.

New owner Darren DeDobbelaer, who named himself GM, was suspended from those duties for violating rules surrounding an investigation that led to the OHL kicking Niagara players Landon Cato and Joshua Rosenzweig out of the league under its bullying-and-harassment guidelines. The team was about to hire its third coach in as many years, and now, they’re on their fifth coach in five seasons.

So, in a league where you don’t have to sign with the team that drafts you – trades are common, and the USHL is always an option – Roobroeck could’ve balked. Instead, he saw brighter skies ahead in Niagara.

“I had my interview with them, and there was nothing but great things they were talking about,” he said. “Everything was going in the right direction, so I put my faith in them, and I knew what they could do to send me in the right direction for my career, so I decided to commit.”

The hope around the ‘O’ is Niagara finally stabilizes, but at the least, the IceDogs have a solid young core with a lot of potential – and their big left winger is part of the solution.

Roobroeck, 17, finished as one of Niagara’s top scorers in his rookie year, and thanks to a breakout sophomore season for both him and the IceDogs, he’s looking like a great option after Medicine Hat phenom Gavin McKenna in the 2026 NHL draft.

Roobroeck saw his first OHL playoff action this spring, and while it was only for one round, the timing allowed him to join Team Canada at the U-18 worlds afterward. He ran wild, with nine points in seven games for the gold-medal winners.

“It’s been cool, meeting new guys from different leagues and seeing how they do things,” he said. “And representing your country is special. It’s something very important to me.”

Former NHLer Cory Stillman coached Team Canada at the event, and he was familiar with Roobroeck since Stillman is also the bench boss in OHL Guelph. So he knew how hard it was to handle the kid on the ice.

“He’s a big body (6-foot-4, 190 pounds) who has a tremendous shot, and can make plays down low,” Stillman said. “He made a big jump this year, and he’ll make a bigger jump next year. For anybody like that, you have to be willing to compete against him and take away time and space. For a defenseman, you have to have a good gap because he doesn’t need much time to release his shot, and when he does, it’s a goal-scorer’s shot.”

The Calgary Flames And The League Among The Winners And Losers From The 2025 NHL DraftIt almost feels impossible to designate winners and losers on the day that the NHL draft goes down. The whole point of the NHL draft is to build for the future, and with the inexact science that is the NHL draft, no one really knows who won and lost the day the picks are made. 

Though he was one of the younger players on the team, Roobroeck bought into the Canadian system, something that’s been key to success for the nation at all levels in recent years.

“He’s a great kid,” Stillman said. “When you get to Hockey Canada, roles change. All these kids normally play power play and maybe on the half-wall. Ryan ended up being a net-front guy and sometimes bumper. His attitude there was great. He was willing to do whatever we needed him to do to win.”

That spirit can partially be explained by the fact the IceDogs winger grew up with older brother Dylan Roobroeck, a New York Rangers draftee who just finished his first AHL season in Hartford after playing in the OHL himself. Dylan is 6-foot-7, but Ryan never asked him to go easy when they played together as kids.

“I have nothing but great things to say about him,” Ryan said. “Growing up, I have memories I’ll never forget, and it’s helped me get to where I am right now. Leaning on him, seeing him go through the OHL and being in the ‘A’ right now, it’s huge just having him to talk to, where I can ask him anything. Having him one call away is so important.”

Funny enough, when it comes to NHL mentors, Roobroeck has always loved watching someone known for being one of the best smaller superstars in recent generations.

“Someone I enjoyed watching, and still do, is Patrick Kane,” he said. “Just the way he slows the game down. The vision he has to make everyone on the ice around him better is sick.”

The Next Crop Of Stars: Projected Top 10 NHL Draft Picks For 2026LW, Medicine Hat (WHL)

When the 2025-26 season starts in Niagara, a lot of eyes will be on Roobroeck, and he plans to continue developing all parts of his game.

“There’s no place you’re too good at,” he said. “You have to keep steadily working on everything.”

It hasn’t been ideal in Niagara, but with Roobroeck’s ability to thrive through adversity, it’s not hard to see him being a problem for everyone else in the OHL next season.

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This article appeared in our 2025 Draft Preview issue. Our cover story focuses on the Erie Otters' star defenseman and top draft prospect Matthew Schaefer, who has excelled despite the personal losses of his past. We also include features on other top prospects, including Michael Misa and more. In addition, we give our list of the top 100 prospects for the 2025 NHL draft.

You can get it in print for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/Free today. All subscriptions include complete access to more than 76 years of articles at The Hockey News Archive.

The Rangers continue to reshape their roster, signing defenseman Derrick Pouliot to a two-year contract.

Pouliot, 31, has played 226 games at the NHL level, including 67 games with Pittsburgh to start his career, followed by a two-year run in Vancouver in which he played in 133 games.

The veteran has also made stops in St. Louis, Las Vegas, Seattle, San Jose, and most recently with Dallas, though he spent the 2024-25 season playing with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, scoring seven goals with 46 assists in 70 games.

Overall, Pouliot has tallied eight goals and 46 assists with 91 penalty minutes over parts of nine seasons.

Two days after signing with CSKA Moscow, Russian winger Egor Sokolov has been traded to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, the CSKA club announced on Thursday.

Sokolov, 25, was traded for the KHL rights to another 25-year-old Russian winger – Nikolai Kovalenko – who is currently a free agent. Kovalenko split last season between the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks.

Given the similar profile of the two players in this one-for-one deal, the reason the trade was made probably hinges on the possibility of each player playing in the KHL this season. Sokolov is signed while Kovalenko is not, and could possibly return to the NHL.

Kovalenko was born in Raleigh, N.C. while his father, Andrei Kovalenko, played for the Carolina Hurricanes. He grew up in Moscow and Yaroslavl, and played in 304 KHL regular-season and playoff games for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Ak Bars Kazan and Torpedo between 2017 and 2024, recording 157 points.

In 57 NHL regular-season games over the past two seasons, Kovalenko has 20 points and 16 penalty minutes. He also played in two playoff games for Colorado in 2024, recording no points.

On Tuesday, CSKA acquired Sokolov's KHL playing rights from Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg and then signed him to a one-year contract.

Utah Prospect, Ex-Sen Egor Sokolov Signs In KHL Russian winger Egor Sokolov, 25, has signed a one-year contract with CSKA Moscow, the KHL club announced on Tuesday. According to the announcement, CSKA had earlier worked out an agreement with Avtomobilist Yetaterinberg, who had previously held Sokolov’s KHL rights.

Originally from Yekaterinburg, a city in the foothills of the Ural Mountains on the Asian side, Sokolov went overseas at age 17 to play junior hockey for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the QMJHL.

Sokolov was taken by the Ottawa Senators in the second round, 61st overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He then spent the next four seasons in the Ottawa organization, playing 13 NHL games for the Sens in which he recorded one goal, one assist and four penalty minutes.

Sokolov was traded last summer to Utah HC, now the Utah Mammoth, for Czech winger Jan Jeník. He spent the entire 2024-25 season in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners, where he recorded 44 points in 75 regular-season and playoff games.

Goalie Spencer Martin Signs In KHL Canadian goaltender Spencer Martin, 30, has signed a two-year contract with CSKA Moscow, the KHL club announced on Wednesday.

CSKA has been very busy over the past few days building its 2025-26 roster. In addition to the three transactions involving Sokolov, it has also signed goaltender Spencer Martin and acquired Denis Zernov from Metallurg Magnitogorsk in exchange for New York Islanders prospect Ruslan Iskhakov.

Last season, CSKA and Torpedo finished fifth and eighth, respectively, in the KHL’s Eastern Conference. Both teams were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

  Photo © Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images.

Islanders Prospect Moves In KHL Trade KHL clubs CSKA Moscow and Metallurg Magnitogorsk were involved in a one-for-one trade involving Russian forwards on Thursday, the latter club announced. Ruslan Iskhakov, 24, is headed to Magnitogorsk and 29-year-old Denis Zernov is headed west to the Russian capital.

While the Carolina Hurricanes certainly made a splash on the opening day of free agency, it wasn't through the signing of a UFA. 

No, the Hurricanes' biggest move of the week came from a trade for defenseman K'Andre Miller from the New York Rangers (acquired for rookie defenseman Scott Morrow, a 2026 first and a 2026 second).

The Canes have had a couple of UFA signings, but all have been to address organizational depth rather than to improve the roster, but that's to be expected. 

The 2025 UFA class was already a pretty weak one and that was even before most players decided to go ahead and re-sign with their own teams.

Now, the only true top-six upgrade the Canes can pursue is Nikolaj Ehlers, who Carolina is reportedly the top contender for.

"We've had talks with his agent and he's taking his time to field offers," said Carolina general manager Eric Tulsky on Tuesday. "He's obviously a very popular person right now and we're waiting to see where that goes."

Top Pairing Defenseman and Beloved Teammate Brent Burns Finds New Home In ColoradoIt seems that former Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns is indeed moving on to a new opportunity, as it was announced that the blueliner has signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.

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While they're waiting on Ehlers to make a decision, the Hurricanes have fortified their depth. 

The first thing the team did was improve their goaltending depth, trading for Montreal Canadiens goaltender Cayden Primeau (in exchange for a 2026 seventh) and signing KHL goaltender Amir Miftakhov.

Carolina had a clear lack of depth at the goaltender position heading into this offseason with Spencer Martin opting to pursue an opportunity in the KHL and Dustin Tokarski well beyond his years.

With no other goalie prospects in the system ready for that next step either, the Canes went out and added two options with potential upside.

"Spencer [Martin's] been really good for us these past couple of years, but he was ready to move on," Tulsky said. "He had another opportunity which he wanted to pursue, so we needed a new person to bring in to be that number three. Dustin [Tokarski] was also great for us in a number four role last year, but we were looking to get a little bit younger and so we brought in two players who we think are both capable of providing that depth and also have upside to grow into more than that and help give us opportunities to keep taking steps forward in the future."

Primeau, 25, has spent time between the NHL and AHL over the last six seasons, but has had very strong AHL numbers throughout.

The 6-foot-3 netminder has a 84-44-18 record and a 0.912 save percentage in 149 AHL games, but just a 0.884 save percentage in 55 NHL appearances.

“Cayden is just 25 and coming off his best AHL season," Tulsky said. "He adds seasoned depth to our organization at the goaltending position."

Miftakhov, 25, had a 13-11-3 record with Ak Bars Kazan last season with a 0.927 save percentage.

The Russian netminder was drafted in 2020 by the Tampa Bay Lightning and spent just one season in North America before returning to Russia.

Over the last three seasons, Miftakhov has had a 0.927 save percentage, 0.930 and a 0.917.

"Amir has put together a number of solid seasons in the KHL and is ready to return to professional hockey in North America," Tulsky said. "It’s important to have goaltending depth, and we look forward to having him in our organization.”

Both netminders are signed to one-year, $775,000 deals.

Carolina also signed defenseman Mike Reilly to a one-year, $1.1 million contract for a bit more defensive depth too.

Reilly, 31, is a journeyman, left-handed defenseman who has some pretty good offensive upside to his game.

He's a veteran of 418 games across 10 seasons and with six franchises and has had 18 goals and 124 points in those games.

 "This is another player who I think should look his best for us ," Tulsky said. "He skates really well, he's effective coming down the wall in the offensive zone and pinching and has the speed to get back and to cover. He can get up all over the ice and we want players taking away time and space through the neutral zone and into the d-zone and he can do that. He has skill with the puck and the ability to transport it and make plays. I think he's going to be really effective for us."

Reilly also had heart surgery last season when testing following a concussion in November, found an undetected heart defect that the veteran had been born with.

“It was picked up through the different echocardiograms that you do for different reasons that you go through with any post-concussion situation," said at-the-time general manager Lou Lamoriello. "It's probably a blessing in disguise of what transpired. They detected this, something that you're sometimes born with but never knew."

Reilly was cleared to return to the ice just two months later and the procedure isn't expected to have any additional impairment to his life or his ability to play.

Finally, the Canes brought back the well-liked Tyson Jost, a versatile forward who played in 39 games with the Hurricanes last season, on a one-year, two-way extension that will pay the forward $775,000 at the NHL level, $300,000 at the AHL and $600,000 guaranteed.

"Tyson was able to contribute to our organization in a number of different ways last year, and we’re happy to keep him here,” Tulsky said. “He’s extremely well-liked and hard-working and capable of playing a number of different roles in the lineup.”

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The Anaheim Ducks announced on the opening day of 2025 NHL free agency that they signed veteran forward Mikael Granlund to a three-year contract that carries an AAV of $7 million.

Granlund (33) is a versatile forward who can play either wing or center position, kill penalties, and create offensive looks for himself or teammates.

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Despite playing the majority of the last two seasons on the San Jose Sharks, the NHL’s back-to-back worst team in the standings, he eclipsed the 60-point mark (60 in 2023-24 and 66 in 2024-25) for the fourth and fifth times in his 13-year NHL career.

“He’s what I consider a hard worker,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said after the acquisition. “He goes to the hard areas, something that we needed more of. He’s not afraid to be a net front presence guy. He’s a guy that hangs onto pucks in the corners for more puck possessions. He’s a very smart hockey player. I would say his skating is above average.”

The Ducks didn’t have many holes in their depth chart with the addition of Chris Kreider, and even with the departure of Trevor Zegras.

They were the worst faceoff team in the NHL, winning a mere 44.6% of their draws in 2024-25, and they needed a center who could provide a positive impact on both ends of the ice.

The analytics community has been critical of the signing since it was announced, stating his defensive metrics reflect one of the poorer profiles among all NHL forwards.

That leads some to question what his role will be with the current iteration of the Ducks’ depth chart and if he’s simply an older, more expensive version of Zegras.

“That’s the beauty of this player,” Verbeek continued.”I think that he gives us a lot of options. Jole and I go through the lineup, and it’s going to give us four balanced lines. So, injuries occur, there’s a lot of things that can happen. So that’s another reason we really liked him.”

Digging into the game tape from his time with San Jose, where he was mostly deployed as a center, often between William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund or Zetterlund and Barclay Goodrow, he was given the opponent’s toughest matchups on a nightly basis. Against the Colorado Avalanche, he was matched up against Nathan MacKinnon. Against the New Jersey Devils, he was matched against Jack Hughes. Against the Vegas Golden Knights, he was matched up against Jack Eichel, so on and so forth.

In those matchups, with those linemates, and with defensemen like Cody Ceci, Jake Walman, and Henry Thrun absorbing tough matchups on the blueline along with him, it would come as no surprise to see Granlund’s underlying numbers near the bottom of the NHL. Granlund could have very well been a product of a poor defensive environment, historically one of the worst defensive environments in the NHL’s salary cap era.

However, on a shift-by-shift basis, Granlund demonstrates textbook defensive positioning, effective battle engagement, and above-average angling techniques.

In defensive zone coverage, he’s always in lanes, using his stick to disrupt, supporting pucks, and winning battles in small areas. He displays quality anticipation skills on the forecheck and in the neutral zone, providing early kills. He’s one of the best in the league when it comes to translating what makes him an impactful offensive player to the defensive side of the puck.

Granlund is a player where the eye test doesn’t match the underlying numbers. If the worst-case scenario plays out, it turns out he wasn’t a product of a poor environment, and he is a negative value on the defensive side of the puck, then a cerebral, detailed, playmaking forward with consistent 60-point potential isn’t a bad way to spend $7 million over three years in the modern environment of the NHL salary cap.

If the best-case scenario plays out, it turns out he was, in fact, a product of a poor environment, and he’s a positive value on both sides of the puck, then the Ducks got the middle-six center they needed, and he will single-handedly insulate the rest of the depth chart.

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Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

A couple of days ago a Rangers fan posted a notice on X/Twitter accompanied by a photo of Russian offensive ace Maxim Shabanov.

"Are we getting him next?" was the text message. It was clear to the Blueshirts' loyalist that Shabanov would look good on Seventh Avenue.

Well, the fact of the matter is that Shabanov will look good, but skating for the New York

Islanders who signed him – and not the Rangers.

We all know that the New York-New York rivalry dates back to 1972, when the Islanders were born, but it's taking on a new form this summer. And for a good reason since  both clubs are desperate to rebuild. 

The race to sign Shabanov is Exhibit A.

"These two teams are battling each other," says The Old Scout, "because they both missed the playoffs and don't want to do it again. At the least, they want a Wild Card berth."

Both teams are set in goal but the Rangers admittedly are fortifying their blue line corps. K'Andre Miller had become  defensive debit so GM Chris Drury signed the veteran Slava Gavrikov.

The Islanders lost Mike Reilly – also, like Miller, to Carolina – and might replace him with their number one Draft pick Matthew Schaefer. But that's only a "might."

"Rushing Schaefer to the NHL right from Junior hockey could be a mistake," adds The Old Scout, "but if the kid has the goods then he might work as a longshot gamble."

What To Make Of The Rangers' Free Agent Frenzy Performance There's a new day dawning for the Blueshirts and its official flying object is The Bluebird of Happiness. 

The Islanders missed the playoffs – one point behind the Rangers – in the Wildcard race. Now both New York clubs have two more months to lift themselves to playoff calibre for the 2025-26 campaign.

And wouldn't it be something if both made it. Even better; if both made it and faced each other in the 2026 playoffs!

The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't yet made any big splashes in this summer's UFA pool. Their most notable move was signing former Montreal Canadiens checking-line forward Michael Pezzetta to a two-year deal. 

Meanwhile, their most notable trade was the sign-and-trade deal that sent right winger Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights on June 30 for Nicolas Roy.

Jonas Siegel of The Athletic believes Marner's departure leaves the Leafs in need of a top-six forward. He suggested they add either a right winger to skate alongside Auston Matthews or John Tavares, or a center who could push Tavares to the wing or centering the third line.

This year's thin free-agent market is tapped out of prime scoring talent.  Sportsnet's Luke Fox thinks GM Brad Treliving will turn to the trade market for a bona fide top-six forward. 

The Hockey News’ David Alter observed that the Maple Leafs have over $4.9 million in cap space for this season. He suggested Treliving could weaponize that space later this summer, targeting cap-strapped teams to acquire a player the Leafs need. 

Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun shares that opinion. He felt Treliving could draw on his glut of affordable bottom-six forwards for trade chips. 

That could include Nick Robertson, an RFA with arbitration rights. The 23-year-old left winger created a stir last summer when he requested a trade, only to sign a one-year deal a week before training camp opened last September.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens have been active in the off-season trade market. Less than a week after their bombshell acquisition of defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders last Friday, they shipped blueliner Logan Mailloux to the St. Louis Blues for middle-six forward Zack Bolduc. 

Both moves received positive reviews, but failed to address their pressing need for a second-line center.  They must also cope with the departures of veteran forwards Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak.

Arpon Basu of The Athletic believes Canadiens GM Kent Hughes is willing to look within the organization to address that issue in the short term. Sportsnet's Eric Engels thinks their best option would be to try Kirby Dach in the second-line center role.

Engels acknowledged that the oft-injured Dach struggled last season before undergoing knee surgery. However, he didn't have wingers like Bolduc and Ivan Demidov as potential linemates. 

Following the acquisition of Dobson, there was speculation that Mike Matheson might be used as a trade chip for a second-line center or winger. The 31-year-old puck-moving defenseman is a year away from UFA eligibility, but Hughes told reporters he's not moving him, citing the big minutes he played last season.

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When the Ottawa Senators selected Shane Pinto 32nd overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, some Sens fans raised an eyebrow or two, wondering if Hamilton Bulldogs winger Arthur Kaliyev might have been the better choice. Kaliyev had just put up a 51-goal OHL season, and ended up being chosen by the LA Kings with the very next pick after Pinto.

Needless to say, over the past six years, Pinto has firmly established himself as the better NHL player, leaving Kaliyev in the dust in both development and impact. So that discussion has been dead for a few seasons now.

But Kaliyev re-entered the Ottawa chat a few days ago after the New York Rangers opted not to extend him a qualifying offer. Suddenly, Kaliyev was a UFA at 24. And as we speculated he might earlier this week, Senators GM Steve Staios took the opportunity on Wednesday to grab Kaliyev, one of his star players from his days as Bulldogs GM.

Under Staios and team owner Michael Andlauer, Kaliyev helped the Bulldogs capture the OHL championship in 2018, then scored 95 goals over the next two seasons. But at the NHL level, his skating and defense have both been an issue. But few people would argue one thing: His slap shot and one-timer are both fierce. Unfortunately for the player, that hasn't translated to NHL success.

On Wednesday, the Senators announced that Kaliyev was one of five players signed to a two-way contract to help out Belleville and add some NHL depth in the event of injury. Along with rejoining Staios and Andlauer in Ottawa, Kaliyev might also be able to recreate some of the junior magic in Belleville with his former OHL teammate, Jan Jenik, who received a qualifying offer from the Senators but remains a restricted free agent. 

Kaliyev last played in March against the Winnipeg Jets when he suffered a season-ending upper-body injury. To that point, he had four points in 14 games for the Rangers after being claimed off waivers by the Kings in January. Prior to being claimed, Kaliyev had missed the entire Kings' season to that point, reportedly fracturing his clavicle during Day 2 of training camp.

For Kaliyev, the move offers a fresh start among familiar faces who still believe in him and have seen firsthand what he's capable of. At this point in his career trajectory, there's probably no better landing spot for him than this organization. For the Sens, it really doesn't cost them anything to see if there's still an NHL player in there. At the very least, he'll help in Belleville.

Speaking of which...

Other Signings

In addition to Kaliyev, the Senators also signed forwards Hayden Hodgson, Wyatt Bongiovanni, Olle Lycksell, and goaltender Hunter Shepard to two-way deals.

Hunter Shepard joins the Senators after playing 39 games for the Hershey Bears (AHL) last season, finishing with a 23-11-4 record, a 2.80 goals-against average, and a .891 save percentage. Over 118 AHL games, Shepard has a crazy 78-26-12 record with a 2.22 GAA and .914 SV%. He also appeared in five NHL games for the Washington Capitals, posting a 2-2-1 record.

Wyatt Bongiovanni returns after a solid season in Belleville, where he scored 22 goals and 11 assists for 33 points in 54 games, tying for the team lead in goals. Originally acquired from the Winnipeg Jets in March 2024, Bongiovanni has 76 points (51 goals) in 161 career AHL games.

Olle Lycksell split his 2024–25 season between the Philadelphia Flyers and their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 25-year-old had five assists in 19 NHL games, while posting 19 goals and 25 assists in 43 AHL games. Lycksell has 128 points in 134 career AHL games, along with 11 points in 45 NHL appearances.

Hayden Hodgson is a big body at 6-foot-two, 221 pounds, known for his forecheck and physical play. He played two games for Ottawa and 43 in Belleville, where he put up 11 points and 156 penalty minutes for the B-Sens.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News - Ottawa

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To date, the biggest signing the Anaheim Ducks have made this offseason has been the addition of unrestricted free agent forward Mikael Granlund.

The Ducks have made some organizational depth moves in the last two days, however, inking four players to AHL contracts to play for the San Diego Gulls.

On July 1, the Gulls announced they’d signed forward Judd Caulfield and defenseman Will Francis to standard player contracts.

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On July 2, they announced they’d added forward Matthew Phillips and defenseman Nikolas Brouillard, both on standard player contracts.

Of these four signings, the clear feel-good story is that of Will Francis. Five years and three battles against acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Francis is now officially living out his dream of playing hockey professionally.

“It was super special,” Francis said after signing his deal. “It’s something that I’ve worked toward ever since I was drafted into the organization. They’ve been first class to me, and it’s just a great feeling, and I got to celebrate it at home with my family.”

Francis (24) was drafted in the sixth round by Anaheim (163rd overall in 2019) six years ago from the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the USHL. He didn’t play any hockey during recovery in 2020-21 and, with two more diagnoses, only played a total of 39 games during his four-year NCAA career with the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Francis made his AHL debut with the Gulls in April, playing three games at the end of the 2024-25 season on an amateur tryout.

“The biggest thing is just never stop believing in yourself,” Francis said. “To accomplish anything you want to accomplish in life, you've just got to start with that belief. I'd say that's something that's going to stick with me the rest of my life.”

Though four months younger than Francis, Caulfield (24) is an AHL veteran at this point in his career, having played 133 games for the Gulls over three seasons. He’s tallied 51 points (21-30=51) in that time, playing a versatile role up and down the lineup. Caulfield was a former fifth-round draft pick (145th in ’19) of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Phillips (27) is a slight winger (5-foot-8, 161 pounds) who’s been productive at every level of hockey at which he’s played except the NHL. He’s a nine-year veteran of the AHL and has totaled 300 points (124-176=300) in 339 games. He’s a former sixth-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames (166th in ’16) and has scored five points (1-4=5) in 34 games at the NHL level.

Brouillard (30) will return to San Diego for his second stint in his career with the Gulls. He played 167 games over three seasons with the Gulls from 2020 to 2023. He spent the previous two seasons with the Hartford Wolfpack in 2023-24 and the Coachella Valley Firebirds in 2024-25.

These four players will look to provide a stable and nurturing environment for a young Gulls team in 2025-26 that will consist of budding talents like Nathan Gaucher, Stian Solberg, Yegor Sidorov, and Nico Myatovic, among others.

Eight Anaheim Ducks Players Receive Qualifying Offers, Three Do Not

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Ducks GM Pat Verbeek on John Gibson Trade

Photo Credit: Patrick Present-The Hockey News

On July 1, the day free agency opened and following the announcement of the signing of veteran forward Mikael Granlund, the Anaheim Ducks announced they had filled out their coaching staffs at both the NHL and AHL levels.

As had been reported the week prior, Jay Woodcroft (48) was hired to run the forwards and power play. He entered the 2025 offseason as one of the NHL’s top head coaching candidates, even interviewing for the Ducks vacancy, but after a second consecutive summer missing out on the coaching carousel, he joined Joel Quenneville’s staff in Anaheim.

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“Jay and I have a long history. He was in Detroit when I was there with the Detroit Red Wings, he was the video coach there,” Pat Verbeek said after the hiring announcements. “He’s really grown as a coach. He ran the power play when he was in San Jose, and had a top-ten power play when he was there.

“What I like is how he teaches progressions, whether it’s the breakouts, whether it’s the plays that get made in the zone to create chances. I really love that part about his coaching and his presentation.”

On the other side of Quenneville, opposite Woodcroft, will be Ryan McGill (56) to run the defensemen and penalty kill. McGill has been a head coach at both the CHL and AHL levels. He was an assistant with the Vegas Golden Knights from their inception in 2017 until 2022, whereafter he joined the New Jersey Devils, where he’d been an assistant for the past three seasons.

“Ryan’s going to run the defense,” Verbeek stated. “In New Jersey, I think this year, he was top-two in the league as far as the penalty kill. We went through the last three years with him, so his first year there, he was top-four, fell to top-ten, and then last year, second overall. If we get anywhere close to that, I’ll be ecstatic.”

McGill’s Devils had the second-best PK in the NHL in 2024-25 (82.7%), the tenth-best in 2023-24 (80.7%), and the fourth-best in 2022-23 (82.6%).

Both Woodcroft and McGill will be expected to flip one of the Ducks’ greatest areas of weakness, special teams, into an area of strength. In 2024-25, they had the 29th-ranked PK, killing at a 74.2% clip, and the 32nd-ranked PP, converting at a horrendous 11.8% clip. With the talent on both sides of the puck on the roster, those numbers were clearly viewed as unacceptable. Merely raising both units to league average will contribute to an improvement in the league standings in 2025-26.

The Ducks also added Andrew Brewer (39) to the coaching staff. Brewer was Hockey Canada’s video coach from 2011-2014, the Detroit Red Wings video coach in 2014-15, and the Florida Panthers video coach from 2020-2022. He has experience as an NHL assistant, coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2016 to 2020. It’s unclear what his day-to-day responsibilities will look like.

“We just really focused in on quality quality coaching,” Verbeek continued. “I feel very, very fortunate that we got the guys we got. Mixed in with Joel, I think we’ve got an outstanding staff.”

The NHL club wasn’t the only team in the organization to round out its coaching staff on July 1. The San Diego Gulls hired Dave Manson and Michael Babcock to be assistants to head coach Matt McIlvane.

Manson (58), father of eight-year Ducks defenseman Josh Manson, most notably coached alongside Woodcroft both with the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL from 2018 to 2021 and the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL from 2021 to 2023. He was let go when Woodcroft was, just six games into the 2023-24 season.

Manson played for 16 years and 1103 games in the NHL from 1986 to 2002 for the Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, and Phoenix Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets.

It is presumed Manson will run the defensemen and penalty kill for the Gulls.

Michael Babcock (30), son of longtime NHL coach and former Ducks head coach Mike Babcock, joins the Gulls after spending the last two seasons in the St. Louis Blues organization as a skills coach.

As a player, Babcock played prep school hockey in Michigan, for the Fargo Force of the USHL, and Merrimack College for four seasons in the NCAA, before playing a season overseas in France’s top professional division.

Babcock will presumably run the forwards and power play in San Diego.

2025 Anaheim Ducks Draft Grades, Analysis

Ducks GM Pat Verbeek on John Gibson Trade

Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Last Friday, the Montreal Canadiens elected not to submit a qualifying offer to Rafael Harvey-Pinard. This didn’t necessarily mean they were done with him; they could have wanted to sign him again, but at a lower price. Still, the absence of a qualifying offer made him a UFA, and he didn’t stick around to find out if the Canadiens would throw a bone his way.

The 26-year-old Saguenay native signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 2. A seventh-round pick at the 2019 draft, Harvey-Pinard has played 84 games in the NHL so far, all with the Canadiens, recording 17 goals and 14 assists for a total of 31 points. He made a name for himself during the 2022-23 season when he made the most of the opportunity he got when several regulars were injured for the Canadiens. He found himself skating alongside Nick Suzuki on the first line and scored 14 goals and 20 points in just 34 games. In 185 regular season games in the AHL, he has gathered 126 points, the second highest total in team history.

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Last season, he played only one game with the Canadiens, spending the rest of his campaign in the AHL, where he collected 19 points in 40 games. Injuries have played a considerable role in Harvey-Pinard’s fate. Last Summer, he had to undergo surgery after suffering a broken leg while training. As a result, he was on the sidelines for four months, meaning he missed training camp and spent the entire season playing catch-up.

While he may not be a big point producer in the NHL, he is as intense and devoted as a player can be. In Laval, he was often nicknamed Lavallagher, because his style and intensity were similar to that of alternate captain Brendan Gallagher.

With the Penguins set to undergo a bit of a rebuild, Harvey-Pinard may have a better chance to make the NHL there than he would have had with the Canadiens who have now turned a corner in their rebuild and are focussing much more on results than development, as evidence by Kent Hughes’ moves so far this offseason.

The Pens also signed another Quebecer on the same day when they added Anthony Mantha to the fold. The former Detroit Red Wings first-round pick has struggled to find a home since leaving Detroit and will be on his fifth team. While these signings might have prompted part of the Canadiens’ fan base to lament the fact that the Habs didn’t sign the Quebecers at one time, Hughes has ensured it wouldn’t happen this year by acquiring Zach Bolduc in a trade and signing Samuel Blais as a free agent.

Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

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Pontus Holmberg spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since signing a new two-year contract worth $1.55 million per season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Although he seemed happy to be getting a raise with his new NHL team, he did describe the emotions of the past few days that saw his former club not tender him a qualifying offer.

"First, it was tough," Holmberg told reporters in a Zoom call on Wednesday. "I'm happy to come to Tampa for a bit of a restart of my career."

Holmberg had seven goals and `12 assists in 68 games last season. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube liked Holmberg's game to the point where the player saw some key minutes at times on the second line during their 2025 playoff run. 

Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said they liked Holmberg, but they couldn't agree on a number for a new contract. The Leafs could have tendered Holmberg a qualifying offer of $866,000 to retain his rights, but Toronto was concerned about the money the player could get in an arbitration award. Any AAV under $4.85 million, the Leafs must honor, and there was fear the player could get a number they weren't comfortable paying.

In many ways, Holmberg was a success story for Toronto's scouting department. A sixth-round pick (156th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft, the Swedish forward established a reputation for being a tough player to knock away from the puck. 

Although Holmberg played in 12 playoff games, he managed just one assist and has just one point in 19 career playoff games. The player admitted that he hasn't been able to demonstrate his offensive skills as much as he would like to at the NHL level, but hopes to get that opportunity in Tampa. Projected to play in the bottom six, Tampa appears to be enthusiastic about the player's defensive ability and speed. The Lightning will also like the player's ability to draw penalties, where he led all Leafs with 28 and was 21st in the NHL. 

Why The Maple Leafs Didn’t Qualify Pontus Holmberg As Player Signs With Lightning Pontus Holmberg is moving on from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He told The Hockey News that he was good at drawing penalties his entire career, including the SHL where the player helped the Vaxjo Lakers HC win an SHL championship in 2021. Holmberg took SHL Playoffs MVP that year and also won Swedish Forward of the Year honors.

(Photo credit: Tampa Bay Lighting YouTube Channel)

Why the Maple Leafs Are Expected to Target Top-Six Forward Help Through Trades, Not Free AgencyThe Toronto Maple Leafs have a Mitch Marner-sized hole in their lineup opted for a sign and trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. But when the clock struck noon for the opening of free agency, the Leafs were quiet. Why The Maple Leafs Signed Vinni Lettieri To A One-Year, $775K ContractThe Toronto Maple Leafs have added another depth player via NHL free agency. 'We Wanted To Get Through The First Part Of Free Agency': Maple Leafs Not Closing The Door On Max Pacioretty ReturnEven after a quiet free agency, the Toronto Maple Leafs aren't closing the door on bringing Max Pacioretty back.

Sharks sign Dmitry Orlov, claim Nick Leddy to surpass NHL's $70.6M salary floor originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Sharks have been busy filling out their roster since NHL free agency opened Tuesday, and they made two more important moves Thursday.

Veteran defenseman Dmitry Orlov signed a two-year contract with the Sharks worth $6.5 million annually.

Welcome to San Jose, Dmitry! 🦈

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) July 3, 2025

San Jose also claimed 34-year-old defenseman Nick Leddy off waivers from the St. Louis Blues.

Leddy’s headed to San Jose.

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) July 3, 2025

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman first reported news of Leddy being claimed.

Leddy has a $4 million AAV for the 2025-26 season, meaning the Sharks added $10.5 million in salary Thursday, putting them above the $70.60 million salary floor.

Per PuckPedia, the Sharks currently have $72.55 million in salaries — second-lowest in the NHL — for next season.

Orlov is a 13-year NHL veteran, having spent time with the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins and most recently, with the Carolina Hurricanes.

In 76 games with the Hurricanes last season, Orlov scored six goals and recorded 22 assists. He has 327 points in 867 career NHL games.

“Dmitry is a strong, two-way defenseman who brings physicality and versatility on the ice,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said in a statement released by the team. “He has a wealth of NHL experience, both in the regular season and playoffs, and his Stanley Cup championship pedigree is a valuable addition to our team. We are happy to have him.”

Leddy brings even more experience to the Sharks, having played for the New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Blues during his 15-year NHL career.

He appeared in just 31 games for the Blues last season, registering two goals and three assists. In 1,042 career NHL games, he has 416 points.

The Sharks are building an exciting young core, but the downside of that strategy is that they have one of the NHL’s youngest teams.

Adding Orlov and Leddy, both of whom have won the Stanley Cup, gives the Sharks two much-needed veteran leaders.

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