Category: Sports News

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ top-10 ratings for EA Sports’ NHL 26 have officially been released.

Atop the rankings is none other than Toronto’s captain, Auston Matthews, who’s sporting a 94 rating, the 12th-highest rating within the game. The 27-year-old’s rating dipped by one point when comparing it to his NHL 25 rating.

Matthews’ wrist-shot power, however, is the best in the game at 95, tied only with Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak. Matthews is also the only Maple Leafs player to have a 90 or above rating in all five categories (acceleration, speed, deking, passing, slap shot power, and wrist shot power).

The Scottsdale, Arizona, native is tied as the fourth-best center in the game, behind Jack Eichel (94), Sidney Crosby (94), Aleksander Barkov (95), Leon Draisaitl (96), Nathan MacKinnon (96), and Connor McDavid (97).

Second on Toronto’s list is William Nylander. He’s rated a 92 overall (one rating above his NHL 25 total of 91) and is the 25th-best player in the game. Nylander is ranked one spot above former Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (also a 92-rated player), who one-ups the Swede in only one category: passing.

John Tavares is next on the list with an 88 rating. He’s also the 25th-highest center in the game. Matthew Knies and Morgan Rielly each have an 87 rating. Knies is tied for 15th in the game’s top left-wingers, while Rielly is tied with 11 players for the 20th spot in NHL 26’s best left defensemen.

Among the other players in Toronto’s top-10 are Brandon Carlo (86), Anthony Stolarz (85), Chris Tanev (85), Jake McCabe (85), and Joseph Woll (85). Three of those five players are coming off their first season with the Maple Leafs organization.

Carlo was acquired from the Bruins at the trade deadline in March for Fraser Minten, a 2026 first-round pick, and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Tanev’s rights were traded to Toronto before the start of free agency last summer, and he then signed a six-year, $27 million contract with the Maple Leafs.

Stolarz inked a two-year, $5 million contract with Toronto on July 1, 2024, and is entering the final year of his deal. The 31-year-old had an up-and-down season with injuries, but finished the regular season with a .926 save percentage in 34 games.

He appeared in seven games during the playoffs for the Maple Leafs. Stolarz had a .901 save percentage in that span before leaving Game 1 of their second-round series against the Florida Panthers following a Sam Bennett forearm to the head.

Toronto’s full top-10 ratings in NHL 26 are as follows: 1. Matthews (94), 2. Nylander (92), 3. Tavares (88), 4. Knies (87), 5. Rielly (87), 6. Carlo (86), 7. Stolarz (85), 8. Tanev (85), 9. McCabe (85), and 10. Woll (85).

The game is available for purchase on both XBOX Series X|S and PlayStation 5 systems, with the release date set for September 12.

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The 2025-26 NHL season will begin on Oct. 7, with training camps set to start the week of Sept. 17, followed shortly by preseason games starting on Sept. 20.

Eight RFAs remain unsigned league-wide, including high-profile core pieces like Luke Hughes, Connor Zary, and Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish.

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Two young and similarly high-profile players recently came to terms with their respective clubs: Marco Rossi signed a three-year contract with the Minnesota Wild that carries an AAV of $5 million, and Frank Nazar signed a sizable seven-year contract extension with the Chicago Blackhawks at a $6.6 million cap hit that will begin in 2026-27.

There’s been little to no information regarding McTavish’s negotiations with the Ducks, but his name has appeared in countless trade and offer sheet speculations since the offseason began.

“I think that Anaheim likes the player (McTavish),” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on his most recent ’32 Thoughts’ podcast. “I think they recognize how good the player is. I think there's a difference of opinion on where the salary should go at different terms.

“I have heard just gossip-wise that, say you're talking about a seven-year deal, what Anaheim sees on a seven-year deal and what McTavish's representatives at Newport (Newport Sports Management Inc.) see on a seven-year deal is different. And so, I think that's the case in a couple of these terms. And I think that's one of the reasons that it hasn't happened yet.”

The Ducks traded Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers on June 23, with part of general manager Pat Verbeek’s stated reason for pulling the trigger being his belief in Leo Carlsson and McTavish down the middle.

“(Zegras) is more creative in the middle of the ice, and having to play from the wing, we're fortunate that there's Leo (Carlsson) and there's Mason (McTavish),” Verbeek said. “We find that they're two pretty good centermen. So Trevor has to get pushed to the wing.”

Though chatter and speculation have died down of late concerning the Ducks potentially moving McTavish, as training camp gets ever-closer, there still seems to be lingering discussion from multiple media outlets surrounding McTavish’s future in Anaheim.

So why does McTavish discussion persist when questions surrounding Hughes and the New Jersey Devils (who only has a projected $6.13 million in cap space to get a deal done) or Zary and the Calgary Flames (who has the fifth most projected cap space, $15.41 million) remain nonexistent?

The answer lies in the summer of 2023, when similar scenarios played out with previously regarded core pieces of the organization: Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale. As the saying goes, “the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior,” and we’ve seen this playbook from Verbeek. Both players are no longer with the organization.

With those negotiations and taking Troy Terry down to arbitration day with his contract negotiations, Verbeek cemented a reputation as a shrewd negotiator, specifically with RFAs, and more specifically with RFAs coming off of their ELCs, where the team holds significant leverage.

“I think the Ducks like the player. I think that they believe in him. I just think that you've got a lot of grinders in this negotiation,” Friedman said. “Pat Morris, who represents McTavish, he's a grinder. Pat Verbeek is a grinder.

“I think Pat Verbeek kind of looks at it like, ‘before the guy gets the super big money, I want him to really earn it. I don't want to give it to him too early.’ I think that's a philosophy. Jeff Solomon, who handles the contract negotiations in Anaheim, he's a grinder.”

Laying out the pieces (though it can change with one phone call), an agreement and an end to negotiation seems currently out of sight. The Zegras and Drysdale negotiations lasted well into training camp, leading to both players sustaining injuries in efforts to get themselves up to speed in their first camp under a brand-new head coach (sound familiar?).

Friedman reported that McTavish’s representation was hoping or seeking out a potential offer sheet from opposing teams. Whether that was because they’re truly seeking another destination or because they wanted to reattain some leverage and force a decision from Verbeek remains unknown.

“I think that McTavish representatives looked for an offer sheet, it didn't happen,” Friedman said. “There's been a lot of talk about why offer sheets didn't happen this year after what St. Louis did last year.

“I really believe the whole thing with Gavin McKenna has terrified teams from doing the offer sheet. This is a player with a chance to do some great things in the NHL. (Teams) can’t protect (and) say, ‘This pick is top two protected or top ten protected.’ You can't do that with an offer sheet. And I think that really scared teams away, not only with McTavish, but with other players. So I'm not surprised that didn't happen.”

A negotiation lasting into training camp isn’t ideal, regardless of player or circumstance. However, that date is closing in, and if talks extend to that point, it would be beneficial to both parties to do everything in their power to ensure McTavish is eased into camp upon an agreement. Injuries are unpredictable as is, and can occur at any point, but adding risk is unnecessary.

It would be beneficial for both sides to get the deal done as soon as possible. McTavish would be afforded the runway to pick up where he left off last season, where he scored 33 points (16-17-33) in his last 36 games, and the Ducks would enter a pivotal training camp before a season in which the stated mandate is to make the playoffs, with their projected second-line center of the present and future under contract.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have 46 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today we look at the history of jersey #46. 

Let's take a look.

Tim Jackman - 2003-04 - Jackman was drafted by the Blue Jackets 2nd round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. 

Jackman made his debut in December of 2003 after spending the previous year, and the start of the 2003 season with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. 

After playing just 19 career NHL games with Columbus, Jackman was traded to the Arizona Coyotes on October 8, 2005. Jackman went on to play 12 NHL seasons and 483 games. He played 288 AHL games and had 138 points for five different teams. Jackman retired in 2023. 

After retiring, Jackman moved into coaching, where he would coach for Minnesota State Univ. (Mankato) as an Assistant, and for Northstar Christian Academy at different levels. 

Filip Novák - 2006-07 - Novák was picked in the second round of the 2000 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers. He is described as "an offensive defenseman. He can pass and move the puck very well and is a good skater. He needs to make the simple play more, though, and not try to force things."

On August 8, 2006, Novák signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets as an unrestricted free agent. During the 05-06 season, Novák would spend most of the season playing for the Syracuse Crunch, appearing in 67 games and scoring 37 points as a defenseman. He would only play in six games for Columbus and collected zero points. 

Novák left North America to play in his home country of Czechia. He would remain in Europe until he retired in 2018. 

Tomáš Káňa - 2009-10 - Káňa was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2006 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues. 

On December 8, 2009, Tomas was traded by St. Louis, along with Brendan Bell, to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Pascal Pelletier. After coming to Columbus, he was sent to Syracuse where he would play 50 games for the Crunch and total 28 points. He also played 11 games for the Alaska Aces of the ECHL and collect 6 points in 11 games. 

Káňa was called up by Columbus after having a very good year in Syracuse and would play in six games for the Blue Jackets and total 2 points. 

After playing the 2010-11 season for the Springfield Falcons, he left North America for Europe. He has played in various leagues in different countries ever since. He is signed to play for HK Opava in Czechia's 3rd-tier league in 25-26. 

Dean Kukan - 2015-22 - Kukan is undrafted out of Volketswil, Switzerland. 

Dean Kukan made his NHL debut in March of 2016 after playing the majority of the season with the Lake Erie Monsters. After playing in 8 games near the end of the season, he was sent back to Lake Erie and would help the Monsters win their first ever Calder Cup. He had 5 points in 17 playoff games. 

Kukan would bounce up and down between Columbus and Cleveland until 2022. He would play a total of 153 games for the CBJ and total 30 points. Where he excelled was in the minors though. He played in 142 games for Lake Erie/Cleveland and total 59 points as a fairly skilled two-way defenseman.

After the 2022 season, Kukan made the decision to return to Europe. He returned to his home country of Switzerland to play for his original club, the ZSC Lions on a five-year contract. 

Kukan is also routinely chosen to represent the Swiss in international competitions. He played in the 2025 IIHF Worlds where he scored 9 points in 10 games.  

Joona Luoto - 2022-23 - Luoto is undrafted out of Tampere, Finland.

Joona Luoto was signed by the Blue Jackets in June of 2022 as a free agent. Before signing in Columbus, he had played in the Winnipeg Jets organization in 2019-20. 

A Finn playing for the Jets and Blue Jackets. Sound Familiar? Well, it should, because Luoto and fellow Finn, CBJ, and Jet Patrik Laine are good friends. They also hail from the same town in Finland. There were rumors that former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen signed him to make Laine more comfortable in Columbus. 

Luoto would wind up playing 45 games for Cleveland, scoring 14 goals and totaling 25 points. He played a total of seven games for the CBJ and had 1 point, a goal.

Luoto returned to Europe in 23-24 and signed on to play for SC Bern of the Swiss National League. He is signed on to play for HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League and is an assistant Captain. 

With 46 days left until opening night at NWA, fans are starting to get a tad restless. There's been very little news the last month or so besides small signings here and there. The RFAs are signed, there are no UFAs, so it's almost time to get down to business. 

Let us know what you think below.

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EDMONTON – You need good goaltending to win.

The Edmonton Oilers know this first-hand. They have seen Sergei Bobrovsky elevate his game for the Florida Panthers when it matters most in the playoffs.

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

And the Oilers have seen what it’s like to have your goaltending come up short. To that end, the Oilers might have a new goaltending target to consider on a PTO.

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The 2 Mutts Podcast has published a new report on Carter Hart. The report, which was posted on X, gives an update on what Hart has been doing since the conclusion of the Hockey Canada trial.

“Speaking to a few NHL players over the last few days who have been on the ice with Carter Hart here in Edmonton this summer,” the post begins. “(They) say he looks great & he’s very focused on returning to the NHL & Hart believes he is able to help a team out.” 

Carter Hart News:

Speaking to a few NHL players over the last few days who have been on the ice with Carter Hart here in Edmonton this summer do say he looks great & he’s very focused on returning to the @NHL & Hart believes he is able to help a team out.

His goalie mechanics…

— 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast (@2MuttsHockeyPod) August 28, 2025

The report also states that “at least four organizations” have said they will bring him in on a PTO if the NHL clears him. Could the Oilers be one of those teams?

Hart last played in the 2023-24 season. The 27-year-old recorded 12 wins, one shutout, a 2.80 goals against average (GAA), and a .906 save percentage (SV%) in 26 games played.

We wait to see how the rest of the offseason plays out and if the Oilers offer Hart a new opportunity.

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On Wednesday, Quartexx Hockey shared a reel in which Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Newhook could be seen working on his faceoff skills alongside San Jose Sharks’ Will Smith under the watchful eye of former Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron.

Bergeron, who retired at the end of the 2022-23 campaign, has a career faceoff win percentage of 57.9%. In the last three years of his career, he consistently exceeded the 6% mark and was recognized as one of the best faceoff men in the NHL. The former center, who will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2026, has a wealth of experience to share.

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What does Newhook's work on his faceoffs indicate? Could it mean that he’ll be playing at center this upcoming season? Sure, it could mean that, or it could also mean that this is one aspect of his game he wants to improve, or that the team has asked him to work on it, just like it did with Zachary Bolduc when he was acquired from the St. Louis Blues.

When Kent Hughes was introduced to the press as the Canadiens’ new GM, he made a point of saying that he firmly believes that players can continually improve. That reaching the NHL doesn’t mean that you’re done learning, just that you’ve reached a certain level, adding that he made a point of ensuring his clients with Quartexx would keep on polishing their game and improving. It appears that his former business is still operating, even though Hughes is no longer involved.

Patrice Bergeron working with Alex Newhook & Will Smith on faceoffs pic.twitter.com/XOBLgWVoWt

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) August 27, 2025

When the Habs brass hired Martin St-Louis as their coach, a man who had played the game at the highest level during his 16-season career in the NHL but was a peewee coach at the time, it was clear that they were hiring a man who could teach, and that’s undoubtedly what he has done so far and continues to do. He spent a lot of time developing Cole Caufield into a more well-rounded player, not just a sniper. He helped Brendan Gallagher change his game, picking his battles and learning to pick his spots, and transformed Josh Anderson into a penalty kill specialist.

That approach not only benefits the team in the now, but it also raises the value of a payer on the open market; it’s about seeing the big picture. Hughes also stated in the same press conference that he wasn’t one to buy high and sell low; helping his players reach new levels is just another way to ensure that he doesn’t have to sell at a low price.

It’s a possibility that Newhook has been given a heads-up that he’d have to play at center, but it’s just as strong a possibility that Quartexx is helping their players improve by getting them some ice time with one of the best in the business. One way or another, this will benefit the Canadiens, as Newhook’s success rate in the faceoff department is far from satisfactory at 41.8%.

---

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New York Islanders forward Bo Horvat was one of the handful of players to come down to the Matt Martin Hockey Academy at Northwell Ice Center last week.

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Horvat spoke with Islanders reporter Rachel Luscher about several topics, including his opportunity to attend Hockey Canada's Orientation Camp, which is currently underway, and what he knows about newcomer Jonathan Drouin. He also shared his excitement for training camp and more. 

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One thing he touched on was how he was feeling after sustaining an ankle injury at the 2025 World Championships back in May. 

“I feel great,” Horvat told Luscher. “I feel back to normal and ready to go for the season. I’ve been skating all summer; nothing has changed there [...] The whole experience was great. The guys were phenomenal, and we had a really good group of guys and a lot of good hockey players on that team. That was pretty fun to play with a guy like [Nathan MacKinnon]. It was a great experience.”

Horvat is the sole member of the organization to receive an invitation to the orientation as Hockey Canada prepares for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. 

With Mathew Barzal sustaining two long-term injuries last season, which limited him to 30 games, the Islanders will need both to be healthy if the Islanders want to get back into the playoffs after missing this past season. 

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Barzal, who had a minor procedure on his knee after sustaining an injury following a blocked shot on Feb 1 in Tampa, will be ready to go for camp, as well. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.