Russian forward Mikhail Grigorenko has signed a two-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk, the KHL club announced on Friday.

“He’s vastly experienced playing in the NHL, international tournaments with the Russian national team, as well as the Gagarin Cup, of which he is a three-time winner,” Traktor GM Alexei Volkov said about Grigorenko. “He is equally capable of playing in several positions, is creative and has a great shot. Add excellent human qualities here and we get a really great top-line player, capable of making the team even more competitive.”

Born in Khabarovsk, in the far east of Russia near the Pacific coast, Grigorenko moved to Moscow as a child and played for the famous CSKA club. At age 17, he went overseas to play junior hockey for the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts, and then a year later was drafted 12th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Grigorenko played parts of three seasons with Buffalo before he was part of a blockbuster trade at the 2015 Draft, going to the Colorado Avalanche in a deal that also included Nikita Zadorov, J.T. Compher, Ryan O’Reilly, Jamie McGinn and a first-round pick. Grigorenko’s two seasons in Colorado were his most productive in the NHL, recording 27 and 23 points, respectively.

After two seasons back in the KHL, Grigorenko had one more 32-game NHL stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the pandemic-shortened 2021 season, recording 12 points. In all, he had 76 points and 36 penalty minutes in 249 career NHL games.

Igor Larionov Jr. To Play For Father In KHL American-Russian center Igor Larionov Jr., 26, has signed a one-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg, the KHL club announced on social media on Wednesday.

In 481 career KHL regular-season and playoff games, Grigorenko has 371 points – mostly with CSKA, but he played last season for SKA St. Petersburg, where he had 48 points in 71 games.

Internationally, Grigorenko has represented Russia at one IIHF U-18 World Championship, three World Junior Championships and three senior-level World Championships. He’s also played in the Olympics twice, winning gold with the Olympic Athletes from Russia in 2018 and a silver with ROC in 2022.

Traktor Chelyabinsk finished first in the KHL’s Eastern Conference last year and advanced to the Gagarin Cup finals, where it was swept by Lokomotiv Yaroslav. In addition to Grigorenko, the team has under contract for 2025-26 goaltender Chris Driedger, former NHLers Vladimir Zahkarov and Jordan Gross, as well as prospects Arseni Koromyslov (St. Louis Blues), Semyon Der-Arguchintsev (Toronto Maple Leafs), Matvei Guskov (Minnesota Wild) and Alexander Rykov (Carolina Hurricanes).

© Tim Fuller-Imagn Images.

Former NHL Goalie Chris Driedger Signs In KHL Canadian goaltender Chris Driedger, 31, has signed a one-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk, the KHL club announced on Tuesday.

Former Chicago Blackhawks goalie Collin Delia is taking his talents overseas.

Brynas IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) has announced that they have signed Delia to a one-year contract for the 2025-26 season.

Delia, 31, spent this past season with the Edmonton Oilers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. In 28 games with the AHL squad on the year, he posted a 12-11-3 record, a .906 save percentage, a 2.76 goals-against average, and two shutouts. 

Delia began his professional hockey career with the Blackhawks after he signed a two-year entry-level contract with them in 2017. This was after he played three seasons at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, where he had a 21-24-10 record, a 2.48 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage, in four shutouts in 56 games. 

In 32 games over four seasons as a member of the Blackhawks, Delia posted a 9-12-5 record, a .904 save percentage, and a 3.68 goals-against average. His time with the organization ended when he signed a one-year contract with the Canucks during the 2022 NHL off-season.

In 52 career NHL games over five seasons, Delia had a 19-18-7 record, a .897 save percentage, and a 3.51 goals-against average. It will be interesting to see how much of an impact he can make with Brynas IF from here. 

Sergachev Has Concerning Story About New Blackhawks Head CoachThe Chicago Blackhawks hired a new head coach this offseason in Jeff Blashill. He has been a head coach in the NHL for seven years, all with the Detroit Red Wings.

Photo Credit: © Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a quiet off-season in terms of acquisitions thus far. 

Their biggest additions were acquiring Nicolas Roy from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Mitch Marner and bringing in playmaking winger Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth. 

On Thursday, they sent little-used enforcer Ryan Reaves to the San Jose Sharks for depth defenseman Henry Thrun.

Sportsnet's Sonny Sachdeva included the Maple Leafs among his five teams that he believes could make moves during a quiet free-agency period. While Roy and Maccelli are good players, Sachdeva believes the Leafs must do more to replace Marner's offense. 

The Leafs' need for another scoring forward prompted Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun to suggest a reunion with Nazem Kadri. That's unlikely to happen given Kadri's importance to the Calgary Flames as they attempt to contend for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. 

Sachdeva suggested Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust as possible trade options. Rakell is coming off a career-best 35-goal season and has three years left on his contract with an average annual value of $5 million. Rust also has three years remaining on his deal ($5.125 million AAV) and reached career highs of 31 goals and 65 points this past season.

PuckPedia indicates the Leafs have $5.33 million in cap space for this season with 23 active roster players under contract. Sachdeva cited colleague Elliotte Friedman reporting that forwards Calle Jarnkrok ($2.1 million AAV) and David Kampf ($2.4 million) are candidates to be traded out of Toronto, which would free up $4.5 million in cap space.

Rust lacks no-trade protection, and Rakell has an eight-team no-trade list. Josh Yohe of The Athletic reported on July 7 there is considerable interest around the league in both players, but Penguins GM Kyle Dubas isn't under pressure to move either guy. Dubas could be uninterested in Jarnkrok or Kampf unless a high pick is included in the deal.  

Meanwhile, RG.Org's James Murphy reported the Maple Leafs are among multiple teams interested in Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson. He cited an NHL source claiming the Leafs seek another puck-moving defenseman, noting they were also linked to Dougie Hamilton of the New Jersey Devils. 

Murphy claimed there's a widespread belief that the Penguins would have to retain a portion of their share ($10 million) of Karlsson's $11.5 million AAV to facilitate a trade. He also said the Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks, Mammoth and Dallas Stars were interested in the three-time Norris Trophy winner. 

Karlsson has a full no-movement clause but could waive it to join a contender. That rules out all but the Stars, which have less than $2 million in cap space. 

The Penguins' asking price for Karlsson could include a first-round pick, a top prospect or a good young NHL player, assets that the Leafs have little to part with.

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The Anaheim Ducks held their annual development camp from June 30 to July 2. This year’s camp was shorter than the last couple of years, typically a five-day camp concluding with a 3v3 scrimmage.

The camp is used more as an instrument that allows newly drafted prospects to familiarize themselves with the organization, meet staff and potential future teammates, and take a nugget or two back home to train for the summer before rookie camp begins in Sept.

Though most of the drills are done at half or three-quarter speed and don’t necessarily simulate game situations, players were available to the media, and there were on-ice takeaways to be had from each player.

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The Anaheim Ducks selected a Swedish center with their first second-round pick in each of the last two drafts. A year ago in Las Vegas, they drafted Lucas Pettersson (35th overall in 2024) from MoDo Hockey, and this year in Los Angeles, they drafted Eric Nilson (45th in ’25) from Djurgårdens IF.

On paper and in their current stages of development, these two players present very similar profiles: detail-oriented, cerebral, two-way centers. Both have been compared at the time of their drafts to former Ducks second-round pick William Karlsson (53rd in ’11).

Although similar in many respects, they have distinct tendencies and attributes that can and will distinguish them from each other, and their roads to the NHL will look very different.

Pettersson bounced around three different levels of Swedish hockey last season: J20 Nationell (Sweden’s junior division), HockeyAllsvenskan (second tier), and the SHL (top professional division).

He had surpassed the skill level of J20, wasn’t deployed in steady top-nine minutes in the SHL, but fit in nicely in HockeyAllsvenskan when on loan with Ostersunds IK.

“A little bit up and down, all over the place. Especially the first half of the season,” Pettersson said of his season. “The second half was good. I got to settle down in Allsvenskan, played a lot of minutes, and found my game. So that was great for me.”

To date, Pettersson is and has been the more offensively gifted and inclined between him and Nilson. He displays an elevated understanding of how to break down not only the defender in front of him, but the opposing defensive structure as a whole.

He’s at his best in transition, supporting pucks through the defensive zone on breakouts, building speed through the neutral zone, and making proper reads in the middle of the ice when it comes time to building plays and deciphering whether to maintain possession with above-average puck skills, cleverly dish to a teammate with a better path for entry, or simply chip pucks below the goal line to establish a forecheck.

He has an understanding and capability to shield pucks from defenders and exhibits vision and quality hands in small areas of the ice at a level beyond his experience.

Pettersson will remain in Sweden to play in the SHL for the 2025-26 season, joining former long-tenured Anaheim Ducks forward and reigning SHL MVP Jakob Silfverberg.

“I think he found a good fit for him. I think he's going to be really well surrounded in Brynäs,” Ducks director of amateur scouting and assistant general manager Martin Madden told The Hockey News. “Yes, it's going to be in the SHL again, so he will need to earn his ice time, but I think he's better prepared for it now. He's had to deal with that tough first year.

“You’re 17 years old, you're not the physically strongest kid yet. Now he's got a full summer without all the pre-draft stuff that you need to deal with when you're going through the draft. So now he's got a full, long summer to hit the gym to work himself into the type of shape, physically strong to be able to deal with men in the SHL next year. I think he's in a good spot. He's going to be well surrounded by Silfverberg for sure.”

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Nilson played the majority of his 2024-25 season in the J20 Nationell division with Djurgårdens IF and had a brief, four-game appearance with the club at the HockeyAllsvenskan level.

He was a two-way force, playing in all situations for Djurgardens’ U20 team, finishing fifth on the team in regular season scoring with 38 points (12-26=38) in 37 games, and third in postseason scoring with 13 points (6-7=13) in nine games, en route to a league championship.

Between him and Pettersson, Nilson is the more defensively inclined and impactful player. His diagnosis of plays off-puck and relentless motor combine to render him a pest to play against and one who can turn an opponent’s mistake with the puck into a quick strike opportunity the other way.

What stands out most about Nilson when watching him shift-by-shift or in a camp setting like Anaheim’s development camp is how effortless his motions are without being lackadaisical. His edges are elite, and he’s in full control at all times, ready to explode out of turns. Similarly, in shooting drills, he elegantly yet instantaneously and deceptively leans on his stick and gets off a lightning-quick and powerful release.

Nilson will make the jump to North America in 2025-26 to play for Michigan State University, citing a desire to gain necessary strength and an understanding of the North American game.

“It’s different than how we play in Sweden,” Nilson said of deciding to play in the NCAA next season. “(I’m looking to improve my) physicality, to get bigger and stronger.”

Madden reflected similar sentiments for Nilson, who came into the draft listed at 6-foot and 166 pounds.

“He reminds us a lot of William Karlsson at the same age,” Madden said. “Really smart, really competitive, great skill, great edge work, he’s also 165 pounds. So he’s got some work to do in the gym, and he understands that, and that’s why he’s taking the path to go to Michigan State.

“He wanted to get the best program off the ice. That was his focus, and we kind of agree. He’s going to a great spot for him. He’s a good two-way player. He’s the first off the bench on the PK, he’s on the first power play unit for the national team. He’s a hockey player.”

With Pettersson and Nilson now in the Ducks organization, one can’t help but be reminded of when they had another pair of Swedish centers in the pipeline over a decade ago: Rickard Rakell and the aforementioned William Karlsson.

Both Rakell and Karlsson were (and are) detail-oriented players who impact both ends of the ice. Rakell proved to be the one more offensively inclined, while Karlsson has become one of the NHL’s premier shutdown centers.

It will be fascinating to see how their individual developments progress from where they’re at currently, but with their high hockey IQs and commitment to the 200-foot game, it would be surprising to see either of them not make it as full-time NHL players and could even provide tremendous two-way depth for what’s shaping up to be a potent future Anaheim Ducks roster.

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Photo Credit: Derek Lee-The Hockey News

A rumored AHL rule change could have a profound impact on the way the Philadelphia Flyers choose to develop their prospects in the future, and especially with Jack Nesbitt.

According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, a change to the upcoming CBA will allow each NHL team to assign one CHL player to the AHL per season, with the rule being that the player must be 19 years old.

"Sources say a new provision in the CBA will allow each NHL team to place one 19-year-old CHL player in the AHL per season," Seravalli reported on X Thursday. "One per organization per season and 18-year-olds are ineligible. Begins in 2026-27 season."

This is big news for the Flyers because it will allow them to have more hands-on development with one of their top prospects each year and begin seasoning them against a higher level of competition.

The rule change would have benefitted players like Jett Luchanko and Porter Martone, both 18, but as Seravalli noted, it won't take effect until next season.

Luchanko and Martone will each turn 19 before the start of November, but they still belong to junior hockey teams, making them ineligible for the AHL.

Flyers Depth Chart 1.0: Early Prospects Outlook, Roster DepthThe Philadelphia Flyers didn't make too many additions to the roster this offseason, but they did enough to shake up the organizational depth chart for the time being.

Because Luchanko already signed his entry-level contract, the NCAA isn't an option for him like it is for Martone.

Luchanko's situation is exactly the one the Flyers, the AHL, and the CHL are hoping to avoid and eliminate with this idea, given that he's already played four NHL games and probably between NHL and CHL competition at this stage in his development.

The same happened with Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright a few seasons ago, too.

But, looking towards the future, the Flyers could allow Nesbitt to play this season with the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL, take on a more prominent role, challenge for the Memorial Cup, then turn pro after.

Training with professionals earlier will help Nesbitt fill out his lanky frame quicker, which could, in turn, help fix his wonky skating and generate more powerful strides.

The Flyers' No. 12 pick turns 19 years old on Jan. 12, making him comfortably eligible for this AHL rule change if the Flyers elect to go this route.

Other prospects who could get the same consideration include Jack Murtagh and Matthew Gard, but Nesbitt, as the more highly-regarded prospect, should be first in line in all circumstances.

Former Carolina Hurricanes forward Riley Nash has announced his retirement from professional hockey after 12 seasons in the NHL.

A 2007 Edmonton Oilers first-round pick, Nash broke into the league with Carolina in 2011 after he was acquired in a trade a year earlier.

Nash made his debut against the Phoenix Coyotes (Dec. 21, 2011) and registered his first NHL point two days later against the Ottawa Senators.

He scored his first career goal against the Florida Panthers on March 2, 2013 and his three-point night helped lead the team to a 6-2 win.

The two-way centerman played 242 games with the Hurricanes and spent six seasons with the organization before leaving in free agency in 2016.

Nash, 35, played 626 regular-season games for seven different franchises over the course of his career, registering 63 goals and 176 points in that span.

Nash is the second former Hurricane to announce their retirement this month, joining Zac Dalpe who announced his retirement a few days prior.

Riley Nash has announced his retirement. pic.twitter.com/1MbhsxACry

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 10, 2025

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Detroit's AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins signed defenceman Alex Kannok Leipert to a one-year deal.

The Detroit Red Wings made an interesting add at the AHL level with the Grand Rapids Griffins, as they continued to shape their roster ahead of the franchise’s 30th anniversary season. 

Griffins GM Shawn Horcoff signed defenseman Alex Kannok Leipert to a one-year contract on Thursday with the most interesting bit of information being where he's from. 

Kannok Leipert, 24, joins the Griffins after a breakout 2024-25 season with the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL. The Thailand-born blueliner is the only pro ice hockey player from his country and will hope to continue making his nation proud as he marches towards an opportunity at the NHL level. 

He appeared in a career-high 59 games, recording 11 points (four goals, seven assists), 93 penalty minutes, and a minus-one rating. Known for his physical style of play and leadership qualities at a young age, Kannok Leipert saw career-bests across the board. 

Originally drafted in the sixth round by the Washington Capitals in 2018, Kannok Leipert spent the first three years of his professional career with the Abbotsford Canucks, where he logged 123 regular-season games and accumulated 140 penalty minutes, 12 points (1-11—12), and a +10 rating. He also suited up for two playoff games in 2023, contributing an assist.

A former captain of the Vancouver Giants from the Western Hockey League, Kannok Leipert was a dependable presence on the back end during his junior career. He posted 83 points, including 21 goals along with 240 penalty minutes, and a +47 rating in 219 games.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

His play elevated in the postseason with 12 points in 28 playoff games. His standout 2019 playoff run saw him finish fourth among WHL defensemen in postseason scoring and helping the Giants reach the league finals.

The signing comes as Grand Rapids looks to build on a promising 2024-25 campaign. Under head coach Dan Watson, the Griffins finished third in the Central Division with a 37-29-4 record and made it to the Central Division Semi-Finals in the Calder Cup Playoffs, eventually falling to Texas Stars in a 3-0 sweep. 

The Griffins’ defense was a major factor in their playoff push, and the addition of Kannok Leipert adds both toughness and depth to a blue line that features several top Red Wings prospects.

As the organization celebrates its 30th season and 25th in the AHL, Kannok Leipert’s arrival symbolizes a mix of grit and leadership for a team eager to make a deeper playoff run and continue developing talent for the Detroit Red Wings pipeline.

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Aleksei Medvedev will not be joining the NCAA, much to the relief of London Knights fans. His decision to forgo college hockey leaves the door open for him to continue his career in major junior hockey, maintaining the Knights' strong roster. 

Medvedev's prowess in between the pipes provided his team with stability last year during the regular season. He served as the backup in the playoffs to Austin Elliott, en route to another OHL Championship and Memorial Cup victory. 

Recently, there has been a lot to celebrate in the Medvedev household. The 6-foot-3 netminder signed his entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. The total value of his contract is $2.7 million with a cap hit of $923,333. He will also earn $97,500 as a signing bonus in all three years of his deal. 

General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the #Canucks have agreed to terms with goaltender Aleksei Medvedev on a three-year, entry-level contract.

DETAILS | https://t.co/Vh4FAhjmFqpic.twitter.com/wIXrNtWIQe

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) July 10, 2025

With an entry-level contract in hand, London management and their fans don’t have to worry about their star goaltender heading to the NCAA. It’s a new landscape between the CHL and NCAA, and players from the CHL signing their entry-level contract will become a bigger deal now. 

Vancouver drafted Medvedev 47th overall in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft. He was the fourth goaltender off the board and the first from the OHL, beating out Brampton Steelheads’Jack Ivankovic (picked 58th overall by Nashville). 

Austin Elliott cannot return to the OHL due to having aged out of the league, meaning Medvedev will be the projected starter for London next season and is in for a significantly heavier workload.  

The Hockey News site editor Izzy Cheung had the opportunity to speak with Medvedev at Canucks development camp, where he spoke about his time in Russia before coming over to Canada at the age of 14, and how he’s had to work on his coordination as he continues to grow. 

Cheung’s piece can be found here. 

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Adam Novotny, Projected Top Prospect In The 2026 NHL Draft, Signs With Peterborough Petes Last season, one of the OHL’s top performers came from the 2024 CHL Import Draft. Ilya Protas was selected third overall by the Windsor Spitfires. He formed an unstoppable duo with Liam Greentree, scoring 50 goals and 124 points in the regular season.  Dale Hunter Named Canada World Juniors Head Coach After two consecutive disappointing fifth-place finishes at the World Junior Championships, where they lost to Czechia in the quarterfinals in 2024 and 2025, Hockey Canada needs to regain its dominance at the junior stage. 

Playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Levis on Thursday, Calgary Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau spoke highly of the Montreal Canadiens, even though he poked fun at them for making the playoffs with fewer points than the Flames.

Now that he’s in a Canadian market, the former Florida Panthers player says he’s able to watch much more hockey, meaning that he also gets to watch more Canadiens action. Being in the province of Quebec, he was, of course, asked what he thought of what Kent Hughes and co. are building in Montreal.

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He said he can see they’re building a nice team and that they’ll be good in two to three years, before saying, mind you, they already made the playoffs. They’ve got good players, and Noah Dobson on defense will be good; Ivan Demidov up front will be good as well. He wrapped it up, saying that in two years, the Canadiens are going to be a big team.

He was also asked what advice he would have for Demidov, a third-overall pick in the league. He answered that he’d tell him he got drafted for a reason and to keep doing what he'd been doing, while also making the adjustments the coach asks of course. Then he also mentioned that a young player should do his best not to listen to the noise around him, especially since the Montreal crowd can get very enthusiastic very quickly.

Huberdeau was also asked how he felt about the Panthers winning the Cup again this season, and he answered that it stung when they won it last year, but that he’s over it now, adding that it’s a different team with a different coach than when he was there.

Photo credit: Brett Holmes-Imagn Images

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On Thursday, Zach Bolduc was taking part in a celebrity golf tournament in Levis, and he had some time to speak to the media. Unsurprisingly, the youngster has been very busy since being traded to the Montreal Canadiens.

He explained that the day following the trade, he went to the CN Sports Complex in Brossard and met with Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton, and Martin St-Louis. While they didn’t have any in-depth conversations, the Habs’ brass did ask him to work on his faceoff skills since they might need him to take some draws.

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The last time he played at center, he was 16 or 17 years old, and he was playing in the QMJHL with the Rimouski Oceanic. he didn’t do it in the later stage of his junior career with the Quebec Remparts. Still, he is receptive to the idea and reached out to Marc Bureau to work on his faceoff skills; he didn’t wait for the Canadiens to organize that for him. He intends to practice a few more times with Bureau until the end of the Summer. It's important to add that Bolduc he's ready to play wherever he's asked to play, on any line at any position, he just wants to help the Tricolore win. 

This is an interesting development. It’s a well-known fact that the Candiens would like to bolster their center line, but both the trade and the free agent market were relatively thin in that respect, and they’ve been unable to address that need so far. Of course, Kirby Dach is still pencilled in as the second-line pivot, but given past results, having a contingency plan would make sense.

Alex Newhook had also played center in the past, and it wasn’t a success either. Last season, he spent the last quarter of the season skating down the middle, and in 21 games, he could only muster five points; that’s hardly the kind of output you want to see from a top-six pivot. With 26 points on the season, there’s room for improvement, and asking Newhook to carry the extra responsibilities centers have isn’t a good idea.

As for why he chose to keep number 76, he explained that there are already 22-23 active players who have numbers, on top of the retired numbers, so it was just the easiest way to go, even though he knows people will talk about P.K. Subban. As for why he originally got the number in St.Louis, it was just the one that was given to him in camp, and he just got used to it and kept it.

Thank you, St. Louis 💙
To the Blues organization, my teammates, coaches, and the fans - thanks for everything. You believed in me and gave me the chance to grow, on and off the ice. I’ll always be grateful for my time in STL and for the friends and memories I made along the way. pic.twitter.com/Tdja9mixXo

— Zachary Bolduc (@zack_bolduc) July 6, 2025

While he dreamt of playing for the Canadiens when he was young, he enjoyed his time in St. Louis, but going to Brossard to meet with the Habs’ brass made him realize that it was happening. He adds that even though the Blues drafted him, he still kept on following the Habs from afar, and he’s excited to join such a young and talented team.

Bolduc wasn’t the only hockey player attending the tournament; Philadelphia Flyers alumnus and former Quebec Remparts assistant coach Simon Gagne was asked about his former player.

Gagne appears to be a big Bolduc fan, saying that he believes the youngster could score 30 goals per season for the Habs. However, he adds that he would have to be deployed appropriately to reach that goal, with top-six minutes and power play time, even perhaps first power play minutes. Given the fact that the first man-advantage unit is already somewhat crowded in Montreal, it would be surprising to see Bolduc get a spot on it, but never say never.

Gagne was also asked if he would have been happy to be traded to Montreal when he was 22, and he didn’t rush to say he would have been. Instead, he said that he wondered if Bolduc was when he heard about the trade because he was in a perfect place in St. Louis with top-six minutes and power-play time. He then added that he had at least been traded to a team that was in a bright spot, coming off a rebuild with a talented young roster. He finally added that at 22, he had a lot of experience, and he might have been able to handle a trade to Montreal, but he was happy that he got to stay in Philadelphia, and things went so well that there was no point in changing things.

He also added that Bolduc had the right personality to be able to cope with Montreal, that he was the kind of guy who is accessible to the public and will never turn down an autograph or event request. Furthermore, if he doesn’t score during a few games, Bolduc has more to his game than just goals, and the fact that he brings physicality will mean he’ll get less criticism if he goes through a dry spell.

As for Bolduc himself, he’s not worried about the pressure of the Montreal market, calling it a privilege. There’s pressure because the fans care so much about the game and their team that it’s a privilege to play in that kind of environment.

Photo credit: Brett Holmes-Imagn Images

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Not every trade, signing, hiring or firing an NHL team makes will be a no-brainer in the public’s eyes.

Just about every NHL team has made at least a couple of moves – free-agent signings, trades, staff changes or all of the above during the off-season. Some of those moves have us scratching our heads – and then trying to envision how they will ultimately look like great decisions. 

Here are three confusing off-season decisions and why they can turn out well. (For transparency, we had the Toronto Maple Leafs keeping Ryan Reaves on the list before they traded him to the San Jose Sharks Thursday night.)

Seattle Kraken Firing Dan Bylsma

Why It’s Confusing: You give Bylsma one year – one year, for a Stanley Cup-winning coach – before cashing in his chips on him? 

Granted, he didn’t steer the Kraken into a playoff position.  Seattle finished seventh in the relatively weak Pacific Division. That said, we don’t know of a coach who could’ve succeeded with the Kraken’s subpar lineup. Bylsma’s resume should’ve given him at least another year on the job, but that didn’t happen.

Why It Can Turn Out Well: Maybe dismissing Bylsma was the right move, especially considering Jason Botterill has moved in as Seattle’s GM. Every GM usually sticks with his coach, so Botterill choosing Lane Lambert over Bylsma could spark the Kraken. They need to be better defensively, which was Lambert’s specialty as associate coach of the Maple Leafs. In other words, he could be exactly the coach Seattle needs right now.

The Minnesota Wild’s Contractual Saga With Rossi

Why It’s Confusing:The Wild’s buyout costs for former stars Zach Parise and Ryan Suter are a combined $1,666,666 now instead of nearly $15 million. You’d think Minnesota GM Bill Guerin would happily throw money at center Marco Rossi, who scored 24 goals and 60 points in his second full NHL season. 

The Wild have nearly $10.2 million in cap space to play with, so it should be easy for Guerin to re-sign Rossi, even if he isn’t completely enthralled with his game. Judging by Rossi’s usage in the playoffs – averaging 11:08 of ice time – Wild coach John Hynes isn’t crazy about Rossi’s game, either. He still got three points in six post-season games, though.

Why It Can Turn Out Well: By waiting this long into the off-season, Guerin is essentially telling Rossi and his representative, “Find me a team that will pay you big money, and I’ll think about matching the deal.” The truth is, if Rossi can’t find greener pastures, he’ll have to eventually accept what the Wild are offering him. At that point, Minnesota’s payroll flexibility situation will be better for it. So daring Rossi to sign an offer sheet is the savvy move by Guerin.

Christian Dvorak’s New Contract With Flyers

Why It’s Confusing: Seemingly out of nowhere, the Flyers swooped in and signed Dvorak to a one-year, $5.4 million contract. We understand that the market for centers is thin, but what teams out there were offering the 29-year-old Dvorak – who hasn’t scored more than 12 goals and 33 points in a season since 2019-20 – a big-bucks, short-term deal? 

And why was that team the Flyers? The newly acquired Trevor Zegras can play center, and they also have Sean Couturier and Noah Cates as options down the middle.

Why It Can Turn Out Well: Dvorak has had trouble staying healthy in his nine-year NHL career, but when healthy, he’s able to be a contributor on an up-and-coming team like Philadelphia. 

At his healthiest, he’s a 15-goal, 35-point player, and it could be that the Flyers need some veteran know-how to push them into a fight for a wild-card playoff berth, or at the very least, make life easier for their younger players.

Dvorak also doesn’t have any no-trade or no-move protection, so if he does play well and Philly is out of the playoff picture, they can deal Dvorak on retained salary for younger players or draft picks.

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This year marked the first of the NHL’s new ‘decentralized draft’ format. While draftees were gathered in Los Angeles, NHL teams remained in their home cities and joined remotely. 

Fans immediately called for the draft to be centralized in 2026. The lack of personal interaction and technical issues were the main reasons cited for why fans wished to return to the traditional in-person format. 

However, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported on X today that the decentralized draft may be here to stay.

He said, “Apparently, there are reports about the future of the NHL draft. There is a vote right now, not yet completed. But from what I'm canvassing - unless there is a wild swing in the few remaining to be submitted - the vote will be to stay with the decentralized format.” 

Apparently there are reports about the future of the NHL draft

There is a vote right now, not yet completed.

But from what I'm canvassing -- unless there is a wild swing in the few remaining to be submitted -- the vote will be to stay with the de-centralized format.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 10, 2025

Fans quickly responded with outrage, claiming the league doesn’t listen to the fanbase. 

As talk of the draft circulates, fans and teams continue to debate whether it should remain decentralized going forward.

Reflecting specifically on the Devils organization, many special moments and players have emerged from the centralized draft. Here is a list of some of the best NJ Devils draft moments that arguably would not have happened or would not have been the same if the drafts had always been in the decentralized format. 

Best NJ Devils Draft Moments 

1. NY Rangers fans cheer as Jack Hughes is selected first in the 2019 Draft. 

The New York Rangers fans erupted in celebration when the NJ Devils selected Jack Hughes. The fans believed at the time that Kaapo Kakko was the better choice and were relieved he hadn’t been selected first, giving the Rangers the opportunity to draft him. 

The Rangers did end up drafting him, only for him to be traded in 2024 to Seattle. The NJ Devils didn’t let the Rangers forget about that moment when they cheered on Hughes. They played it back on the Jumbotron when the Rangers played at the Prudential Center. 

2. David Poile’s final trade

In 2023, the NJ Devils traded their 7th-round pick to the Nashville Predators. While this was less of a strategic move, it was for sure a sentimental one. The Nashville General Manager, David Poile, announced following the 2023 NHL Draft that he would be retiring. 

Devils’ General Manager Tom Fitzgerald was Poile’s teammate and first NHL Captain while the two played with the Predators from 1998-2002. 

In a final sendoff, Fitzgerald wanted to be a part of the last trade of Poile’s career. Poile had a record-breaking career, being the GM in NHL history with the most wins and the third most wins in single-team history. 

The move was full of class, as Fitzgerald and Poile were joined by Barry Trotz, their former coach, to finalize the last trade of Poile’s career. They then gathered together for a photo following the trade on the draft floor, a memory that was only possible with all three of them in the building. 

3. Bobby Carpenter gets drafted right out of high school

Though not drafted by the Devils, Bobby Carpenter’s full-circle journey is one of the many stories that feel more real when shared live at a centralized draft.

In 1981, with the 3rd overall pick in the draft, the Washington Capitals selected Bobby Carpenter. The 18-year-old was fresh out of high school, making history as the first high school player to jump directly to the NHL in his draft year. Just one year after graduating from St. John’s Prep High School in Massachusetts, Carpenter made his way to the NHL. In his first season, he scored 32 goals and 67 points as an 18-year-old.

Many years later, Carpenter would join the NJ Devils for the final years of his career. He helped the Devils win their first Stanley Cup in 1995. He played six years with the Devils before retiring. 

Best NJ Devils Draft Picks Of All Time

Not only were there sentimental moments over the years at the centralized draft, but there were also franchise-altering selections. Here is a list of a few draft picks that changed the New Jersey Devils organization. 

• John MacLean - 6th Overall 1983
• Kirk Muller - 2nd Overall 1984
• Brendan Shanahan – 2nd Overall 1987
• Scott Niedermayer – 3rd Overall 1991

• Martin Brodeur – 20th Overall 1990
• Patrik Elias - 51st Overall 1994
• Scott Gomez - 27th Overall 1998

• Jesper Bratt - 162nd Overall 2016
• Nico Hischier - 1st Overall 2017
• Jack Hughes - 1st Overall 2019

Photo Credit: © Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

The Ryan Reaves-era of the Toronto Maple Leafs has come to an end.

The Maple Leafs announced on Thursday evening that they've traded the veteran forward to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Henry Thrun. The 24-year-old defenseman played 60 games for the Sharks last season, averaging 17:31 of ice time and scoring two goals and 10 assists.

The trade frees the Maple Leafs of Reaves' $1.35 million salary while adding Thrun, who's in the final year of his contract, which has a $1 million annual average value. Toronto is saving $350,000 by acquiring Thrun for Reaves, and avoiding having to bury $200,000 in the minors had Reaves started the season in the AHL.

According to PuckPedia, the Maple Leafs now has $5.33 million in cap space available.

Questions rose about Reaves' future with Toronto after the forward joined the Cam & Strick Podcast with Andy Strickland and Cam Janssen and said he had wanted to hit the 1,000 game mark before he retires. The 38-year-old—only playing in 35 games with the Maple Leafs last season—is 88 games from the milestone.

'No Firm Offer' From Maple Leafs to Andrew Mangiapane Despite InterestAndrew Mangiapane, a player of interest for the Toronto Maple Leafs during their search for another forward, ultimately signed with the Edmonton Oilers when free agency opened earlier this month, rather than his hometown team. Instead, Mangiapane signed a two-year, $7.2 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers.

With the Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup aspirations and Reaves' enforcer play style, it just didn't appear there was a fit anymore. Reaves' tenure with Toronto comes to an end after playing 84 games with the club and scoring four goals and four assists in that span.

Toronto, in return, gets a younger defender who is still trying to find his way at the NHL level.

Thrun, a fourth-round (101 overall) pick by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2019 NHL Draft, has appeared in 119 NHL games, all with the Sharks. In his final two seasons at Harvard University, Thrun scored at nearly a point-per-game pace (63 points in 68 games), but hasn't found that level in pro yet.

'I Know I'm A Better Player Than I Was In Utah': Matias Maccelli Believes He's Ready For Top-Six Role With Maple LeafsMatias Maccelli was attempting to make a putt when his friend began yelling about a trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He's registered five goals and 20 assists while averaging 18:44 of ice time over three seasons with the Sharks.

Believe it or not, the defenseman's first NHL goal came against the Maple Leafs on Jan. 9, 2024. It was San Jose's only goal in a 7-1 loss to Toronto. Given he's still young, Toronto could look to have him work with the organization's development staff, which could help his game progress at the pro level.

Thrun will be a restricted free agent after this season.

(Top photo of Thrun: Robert Edwards / Imagn Images)

We’re wrapping up our Vegas Golden Knights Development Camp coverage with a spotlight on two standout 21-year-olds, Matyas Sapovaliv and Abram Wiebe.

Both Sapovaliv and Wiebe were drafted by the Knights back in 2022. Sapovaliv in the second round (48th overall) and Wiebe in the seventh round (209th overall).

Sapovaliv is a Czech center known for his poise and precision in the offensive zone. A natural facilitator, he thrives by slowing the game to his tempo, using his vision and puck control to let plays develop before threading pinpoint passes through tight lanes.

His technical playmaking ability has been on full display throughout his development, from his standout seasons with the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL. He posted 62 points (19 goals, 43 assists) in just 54 games in the 2023–24 season. Following that came his transition into the AHL with the Henderson Silver Knights. He played 71 games in the 2024–25 season, posting 19 points (11 goals, 8 assists). Sapovaliv’s knack for navigating traffic and delivering the puck under sticks and through bodies makes him a constant threat and a valuable asset in any offensive scheme.

“It’s pro hockey. It's been hard, especially the start,” Sapovaliv said in regard to his first pro season. “I had good teammates and good coaching staff. I got better through the season and finished hard.”

Started at the NHL Draft, now we’re here ➡️ Matyas Sapovaliv was drafted by the @GoldenKnights in the 2nd round of the 2022 NHL Draft, and played his first pro season with the Silver Knights during 2024-25 pic.twitter.com/GjdJF9BJX3

— Henderson Silver Knights (@HSKnights) June 25, 2025

Now for Wiebe—he’s been on a slightly different, yet still impressive path, playing at the D1 collegiate level for the University of North Dakota.

In his 2023–24 freshman season, the defenseman appeared in all 40 games, putting up 10 points (1 goal, 9 assists) and finishing second on the team with a +14 rating. At the end of that season, he was named to the NCHC All-Academic Team and also earned NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete honors. Going into his 2024–25 season, he improved his numbers, putting up 24 points (4 goals, 20 assists) in 38 games.

“I’m so thankful for the opportunity to play at North Dakota,” Wiebe said. “It’s such an amazing university, amazing hockey team with great coaches, so I’m so thankful that I got the opportunity to play there. I thought last year, going from my freshman to sophomore year, I just gained a lot of confidence heading into my sophomore year, which gave me the opportunity to join the rush and be more involved on the offensive side of the game this year. So, I’m kind of just using that this summer to get bigger, stronger, and faster.” 

Make it a 🎩 trick of winners this week, as Abram Wiebe repeats as NCHC Defenseman of the Week!

RELEASE: https://t.co/3WPWi80ixR#UNDproud | #LGHpic.twitter.com/tdelwFqE77

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) December 16, 2024

Both of these young men have exciting seasons ahead, and their performances over the past few days at development camp gave fans a clear glimpse of the potential they bring to the future of this organization.