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Detroit Red Wings top defenseman Moritz Seider isn't known as a fighter, as he had dropped the gloves only one time in his NHL career entering Saturday evening's tilt against the Boston Bruins. 

But in the waning seconds of the opening 20 minutes of play, Seider got into a scrum with Boston's Mark Kastelic that eventually turned into a full-fledged bout. 

Both players traded multiple punches, and it was Kastelic who ultimately got the takedown with a vicious right hook.  

Mark Kastelic vs. Moritz Seider 👀 pic.twitter.com/j5JDJnAcR1

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 30, 2025

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Seider and the Red Wings would ultimately fall by a 3-2 final score in the shootout to the Bruins, whom they will face once again on Tuesday evening at Little Caesars Arena. 

Afterward, Seider said part of the reason why he felt the need to drop the gloves was as a response to the physicality showed by the Bruins and to answer when the club gets, as he put it, "pushed around".

“A very tough guy, but I think we just needed a little bit of a spark," he said of his fight with Kastelic. "I think we sometimes get pushed around a little bit, and sometimes we just need to answer. It doesn’t matter the outcome, just got to show face and be ready for it.”

There were some tense moments for Red Wings fans at the beginning of the second period, as Seider wasn't on the bench. However, Seider would eventually return to the contest and ultimately finished with a team-high 28:18 of ice time. 

Dylan Larkin, who extended his point streak with an assist on Lucas Raymond's third period tally, gave Seider props for taking on Kastelic. 

"That’s important that we stuck together," he said. "Great for Mo to stick up for himself. That’s a tough customer he took on. He did really well.”

“It was good for Mo," head coach Todd McLellan said. "Good for our team to stand our ground. He did a real good job.”

Like most NHL teams, the Red Wings no longer carry a traditional enforcer - a player who sees limited ice time, contributes little offensively, and is used primarily as an on-ice sheriff. The role of an enforcer has fallen by the wayside in NHL competition in recent years. 

But there are multiple Red Wings who have more than one fighting major on their resume, including both Larkin and Alex DeBrincat along with J.T. Compher and Travis Hamonic. 

Depth forward Austin Watson, who had one fighting major during his brief NHL stint with Detroit last season, amassed seven fighting majors with the Grand Rapids Griffins that same year and has added two more so far this season.

There could be more fireworks on Tuesday evening when the Red Wings and Bruins reconvene at Little Caesars Arena for the conclusion of their short home-and-home series. 

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Bob, Bread and Butter - May 27, 2019 - Vol. 72, issue 15 - Ken Campbell

The way Pierre-Luc Dubois figured, his decision to spend $3,000 on a bottle of Louis XIII cognac last summer was a pretty wise investment. You know how quarterbacks take their offensive linemen out for dinner or send them on vacations? That’s kind of what this was like. After all, Dubois had just made an extra $425,000 in bonus money in the first year of his contract and wanted to show his appreciation for the person most responsible for helping him earn it. Dubois had three goals when Artemi Panarin became his linemate, and Dubois ended his rookie season with 20. So he stroked a check for three large and gave it to teammate Seth Jones, who purchased the elixir because Dubois was too young to do it himself. He still is.

But that will change June 24 when Dubois reaches his 21st birthday and can drink like a man in the state of Ohio. Seven days after that, there’s a good chance Panarin, who has been Dubois’ linemate, friend and mentor for the past two seasons and is the owner of the bottle, will know exactly where he is likely going to spend the rest of his career. Panarin might even have a cheat day and eat a hamburger like everyone else does.

So when Dubois and Panarin do get around to clinking glasses and sharing an ambrosia that makes you feel like an angel is peeing on your tongue, it will mark a sense of closure in so many ways for so many people. Not only will Dubois be able to go out with his teammates after games with everything on the up-and-up, but it will also celebrate the conclusion of the most unlikely, logic-defying, unpredictable and downright bizarre periods in the history of this franchise. And that’s saying something because, hey, we’re talking about the Columbus Blue Jackets here. “It’s one of the most unique years I’ve been involved in,” said Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella, “as far as some of the things that were going on in our locker room.”

For all of this season, the Blue Jackets did a delicate dance around two around two of their franchise pillars. Panarin, who led the team in scoring the past two seasons and is more than 50 points ahead of his next highest-scoring teammate, is due to become a UFA July 1. And franchise goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, whom former GM Scott Howson doesn’t get enough credit for stealing from the Philadelphia Flyers for futures in 2012, with two Vezina Trophies and a sterling 2019 playoff on his resume, will join Panarin on the open market, ready for the highest bidder.

IT’S ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE YEARS I’VE BEEN INVOLVED IN, AS FAR AS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE GOING ON IN OUR LOCKER ROOM– John Tortorella  

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Bread and Bob. Bob and Bread. Two Russians who came to the NHL as unheralded and undrafted in their early 20s and have risen to the top of their craft. They were born two years and a 26-hour drive apart, Panarin in the coal-mining town of Korkino near the Asian border and Bobrovsky in Novokuznetsk, a southwest Siberian steel hub that was known as Stalinsk from 1932 until 1961. If you listen to their teammates, no two players prepare for games more diligently and work harder to improve than Bread and Bob. The two have been and are inextricably linked when it comes to this year’s free agent market. If you believe what is being read around the league in the tea leaves, they could both be going to the Florida Panthers next season, a place where they have sandy beaches and no state taxes.

Last year was the most unique free agent season in NHL history, because never before had a player as young and talented as 27-year-old John Tavares been available to the highest bidder. This summer sets itself apart in that two franchise cornerstones are potentially available, possibly as a package deal. “I don’t know what’s going on in their heads, really,” Dubois said. “But for sure it’s not the easiest situation to play in.”

Yet, remarkably, everyone made a situation rife with landmines work in Columbus this season. The 2018-19 campaign marked the first time in history the good people of central Ohio have known what it is like to cheer for a team that has won an NHL playoff series. And, man, has it been a long time. Nineteen years ago, owner John McConnell brought the NHL to this college-football town, and most of that time has been marked by dysfunction, ineptitude and mediocrity. If there was one place in the NHL that held the potential for this situation to become a gong show, Columbus would have been a good bet.

Not only did GM Jarmo Kekalainen not trade Bobrovsky and/or Panarin after not being able to sign them, he doubled down on the Blue Jackets and put his own job on the line by being the most active GM at the trade deadline. He acquired Matt Duchene from Ottawa Feb. 25 and made another move with the Senators the next day to acquire Ryan Dzingel – both of them pending UFAs themselves. Columbus was in third place in the Metropolitan Division, one point ahead of Pittsburgh and Carolina for the final divisional spot and tied with Montreal. One of those teams wasn’t even going to make the playoffs, and few would have been surprised if the one on the outside had been the Blue Jackets. Because Columbus.

The sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning and record-setting Tampa Bay Lightning was stunning, but the seeds for it had been sown much earlier than that. The Blue Jackets went 7-1-0 down the stretch after a players-only meeting and a dinner summit in Vancouver that came on the heels of a 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Everything was put out there, and the Blue Jackets cleared the air, much the way they did on the first day of training camp when they addressed the Bobrovsky and Panarin situations head-on.

Tortorella prompted the training-camp meeting, and more than one player said it was important to deflate the elephant in the room right away. “Because then there’s no tip-toeing around the situation,” Tortorella said. “I think that helps you when you deal with things the right way. You deal with them like men, face-to-face and with honesty. I think it helps you down the road as you deal with some things.”

There were 12 minutes remaining in the second period of Game 2 in the Blue Jackets’ series against the Bruins, and the teams were playing 4-on-4. Jones jumped on a Charlie Coyle turnover and got it to Panarin at the bottom of the right circle. Panarin snapped a shot that ended up underneath the back bar of the net and tied the game.

You can count on one hand the number of players in the league who could make that shot. “I’ve been here eight years and been pretty fortunate to play with some pretty good players,” said linemate Cam Atkinson. “Rick Nash, Jeff Carter, Marian Gaborik, guys with incredible skill. But he’s been the best player…not by far…but, yeah, he’s just a generational talent. Just to see what he does in practice, you sit back in awe.”

When Duchene first came to the Blue Jackets, it actually took him some time to adjust to the way Panarin plays the game. His sense of vision and ability make things difficult on defenders but also teammates who aren’t on the same plane at which he’s processing the game.

Duchene compared him to a basketball point guard the way he gains the blueline, then posts up and assesses the situation. “I haven’t seen a guy play quite that style a game before – it’s pretty cool to watch,” Duchene said. “I’ve played on and off with him at times, and it took me a little bit to figure it out. I just go to the other side of the rink and wait for the puck to come that way because I know he loves to look for that cross-ice (pass) and play that left side.”

Panarin has been in North America for four full seasons, but he has done only one interview without the help of an official translator, and even then only after being pressed by reporters and declining previous media requests. For a guy who talks as much to his teammates as he does, that’s kind of odd.

The feeling is Panarin could do interviews in English if he really wanted to, but why step into the spotlight unless you have to. “His English is fine,” Atkinson said. “He knows what’s going on. Sometimes you have to dumb it down a little bit, but he definitely understands. He’s a great guy, likes to have fun, loves hockey. He’s a good dude.”

Ever since coming to Columbus in the summer of 2017 in a trade for Brandon Saad, Panarin has never led on the fans or the franchise about his intentions. There were even rumors that one of the reasons why the Blackhawks dealt him in the first place was they knew they had no chance of re-signing him. There has long been speculation Panarin has wanted to pursue the rest of his career in a bigger city that is close to a major body of water, and all the Blue Jackets can offer is a fan-friendly city with a favorable commute and the Scioto River.

One person close to the situation compared it to a star soccer player who happens to be playing in Stockholm. Great city, perfect situation, but it’s not Barcelona or Paris.

Adding to the intrigue around all this is that, for the first three years of his career, Panarin was represented by agent Dan Milstein. He and Panarin made it clear before training camp it was nothing personal, that he loves playing in Columbus but wasn’t going to sign an extension before exploring the market July 1.

Deals were rumored, and there might have been some action with Winnipeg involving Jack Roslovic and Toronto involving Kasperi Kapanen, but they never materialized, largely because there was no prospect of a long-term deal. Then, two days before the trade deadline, Panarin dropped Milstein for Paul Theofanous, who also happens to represent Bobrovsky. (A call to Milstein to ask him about this produces the following response: “I have nothing to say. Have a nice day.” 

IT WASN’T AN EASY SEASON FOR ME, ESPECIALLY IN THE BEGINNING. NOW IT SEEMS IT HAS SETTLED DOWN, AND I JUST FOCUS ON HOCKEY, AND THAT’S IT– Sergei Bobrovsky  

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Panarin is a free spirit who smiles easily, laughs often and has an impish quality that makes him popular with his teammates. He loves to talk hockey, “even in his broken English,” according to Duchene. And the occasional periods of conflict that have pockmarked the Bobrovsky negotiations haven’t materialized with Panarin. The organization understands he has earned the right to choose and doesn’t begrudge his opportunity to do so. His teammates, some of whom have been in the same situation and others who may be in the future, will be the last ones to hold anything against him.

It also helps that Panarin might be the hardest-working and most dedicated player on the roster. There is no dispute that he is the most talented. “He’s one of the best players in the NHL and one of the few game breakers in the NHL, and he still works as if it’s his first shift in the NHL,” Dubois said. “He’s a real professional. I think he’s the definition of it in everything he does, even away from the rink.

Nick Foligno can’t remember exactly how it started, this hugging thing. But he doesn’t deny there is a unique kinship between him and Bobrovsky. They are two of the longest-serving Blue Jackets, having been acquired nine days apart in the summer of 2012. That first season, Columbus made an 8-1-0 run down the stretch, losing out on a playoff spot on the last day of the season to the Minnesota Wild via tiebreaker. During that stretch, Foligno embraced Bobrovsky after every victory and, seven years later, it’s a thing. After every victory, Foligno is the last in line to congratulate Bobrovsky, throwing his right arm with gusto around his neck, then tucking his left between Bobrovsky’s right hand and his body.

There was a time when Foligno simply yelled “Bobrovsky!” because he got a kick out of the way it sounded. “He just thought I was an idiot, probably,” Foligno said. “I just thought his name was hilarious. I don’t know why. Every game just got bigger and bigger. At first it was just a little hug, and then it got bigger because we kept winning. I remember I didn’t do it the next year, and he came up to me after one game and was like, ‘Hey.’ And I said, ‘Sorry, man, I forgot.’ And we just kept going.”

The message is different now, but the sentiment remains the same. “ ‘Love you, man, good game,’” Foligno said. “I don’t even know what I’m saying half the time. It doesn’t even make sense. But he’s smiling underneath his mask, which is great.”

The smiles weren’t always there this season, right from the first day of training camp, actually, when Bobrovsky cryptically suggested the Blue Jackets knew exactly what his plan was, then put a moratorium on questions about his future. One person close to the situation said that came after Columbus offered him a contract that wasn’t far off the eight-year, $84-million extension the Montreal Canadiens gave to Carey Price in the summer of 2017.

In the first month of the season, he and Foligno did their patented hug only twice. Bobrovsky lost five games that month and didn’t look particularly good doing so. By the end of the month, his record was 2-5-0 with a 3.58 goals-against average and an .882 save percentage. Things came to a head the night of Jan. 8 in a 4-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a game in which Bobrovsky and the players in front of him were terrible. After giving up the fourth goal of the game on the 19th shot, Bobrovsky was pulled by Tortorella with 12 minutes to go in the game.

I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON IN THEIR HEADS, REALLY. BUT FOR SURE IT’S NOT THE EASIEST SITUATION TO PLAY IN– Pierre-Luc Dubois  

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Instead of waiting for his teammates in the dressing room, Bobrovsky showered, got dressed and headed straight for the team bus. As a result, he was suspended for a game against Nashville for failing to meet the organization’s “expectations and values,” then watched from the bench as Joonas Korpisalo got the next start in Washington. He won both games in overtime. “It wasn’t an easy season for me,” Bobrovsky said, “especially in the beginning. Now it seems it has settled down, and I just focus on hockey, and that’s it.”

For all his regular-season magic and his two Vezina Trophies, his play in the playoffs going into this spring was suspect, to say the least. When asked what the difference was between the Bobrovsky who struggled through much of the first half of the season and the one that was nearly impenetrable down the stretch and in much of the post-season, he said, “I don’t know how to answer that. I don’t want to compare. I don’t want to analyze. I don’t want to think about it and say, ‘I did this and I did that.’ There were lots of things around me that were out of my control.”

One thing that sets professional athletes apart from those who don’t make it is their ability to compartmentalize things and not allow distractions to affect their game. With a few exceptions, Panarin and Bobrovsky have done that, as have their teammates. But at the beginning, when things were so raw between him and the organization and everything was so uncertain, it took a toll on Bobrovsky. “I think early in the year, the business side of hockey got to him,” Foligno said during the second round of the playoffs. “And you’re seeing him just play, and when you can do that as an athlete, it is scary, especially with a guy like him who has all that talent.

“I think he’s come to peace with it. We all have. There is no elephant in the room. There’s no issue. It’s just, ‘Let’s go play, boys, let’s have fun together, and let’s do this for each other.’ And man, every guy in this room loves him.”

So when July 1 rolls around, Dubois will almost certainly be losing his mentor, and it looks like Foligno will no longer have his post-game hugging partner. It’s just business, they’ll tell themselves as they say their goodbyes. The Blue Jackets will try to make a cult hero out of goalie Elvis Merzlikins, and they’ll hope their young players give them a little more to make up for the void left by Panarin.

They’ll sign a few free agents and they’ll move on. The former teammates will meet in rinks in the future and do the man-hug thing, knowing that for a short time in the spring of 2019, they shared something special. The Columbus Blue Jackets became the last of the 31 teams in the NHL to win a playoff series, and Bob and Bread were there for it. That’s not something people in these parts will forget easily.

One of the reasons the Boston Bruins have emerged as a top-10 team in the Eastern Conference is the fact they’re getting notable contributions from players who aren’t regarded – at least, not entering the season – as stars.

Boston’s brightest star is winger Morgan Geekie. The 27-year-old, who set career-highs in goals (33) and points (57) last season, is currently tied for the NHL lead in goals this season, with 20 goals and 26 points in 27 games. 

Only Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon has as many goals as Geekie, who is on pace for a 61-goal, 79-point season.

While it’s unfair to expect Geekie to score nearly double the amount of goals he’s scored in his best season, Geekie’s climb up the scoring rankings takes a ton of pressure off of Bruins veterans, including star winger David Pastrnak, to do all the heavy lifting. Pastrnak, Geekie's most common linemate this season, has missed the previous two games with an injury. All Geekie has done is step up in his absence, scoring three goals in those two games.

Geekie has emerged as a star for Boston, and he has exceeded all expectations of him when the Bruins signed him as a UFA in the summer of 2023. Up until that point, Geekie’s career highs were nine goals and 28 points as a member of the Seattle Kraken, who picked him off the Carolina Hurricanes’ roster in the NHL’s 2021 expansion draft.

The Bruins knew they had a keeper in him when he posted 17 goals and 39 points in 76 games in 2023-24, and all he’s done since then is grow his offensive game to new heights. 

To be sure, the offense-challenged Kraken could use Geekie’s goal production right about now, especially considering they elected not to tender him a qualifying offer after the 2022-23 season. Seattle’s top scorers have only eight goals this year, so having someone like Geekie, who is still approaching his prime and finding out just how dominant he can be, is a gift from the hockey gods.

Now, the Bruins did take a risk of sorts when they signed Geekie to a six-year, $33-million contract extension this past summer. If Geekie was on track to only score as much as he did in his first year with Boston, they would rightfully have heard they’d overpaid a bit on his new contract. But a $5.5 million annual salary would be considered a great bargain for someone who produced 33 goals in a single season. If that player were on pace to lead the league in goals? Well, that would be downright larceny for the team that acquired that type of contributor.

There are still two-thirds of the season yet to play, and if Geekie’s production does tail off, that won’t take away from his strong start. But he’s setting a new bar for himself, and if the Bruins are to remain a playoff team, they’ll need him to continue to consistently produce goals and points at close to, if not better than, a point-per-game pace.

Remember, Geekie was drafted 67th overall by the Hurricanes in 2017. The most he’s scored in one season, at any level, is the 35 goals he had for the WHL's Tri-City Americans in 2016-17. So he’s a late bloomer, and he’s probably got to start slowing down a bit, right? 

Well, maybe, or maybe not. Geekie’s best days could still be ahead. If that’s the case, the Bruins’ chances of becoming a playoff team in short order are going to be to their liking.   

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The Buffalo Sabres are the worst team in the Eastern Conference. And given that we’re approaching the one-third point of the season, that makes it a great time to hand out grades for Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams, coach Lindy Ruff, and Sabres players. 

We started on the process by grading Adams, and in today’s column, we’re focusing our attention on Ruff. Let’s get to it: 

Lindy Ruff, Coach

Grade: D 

The Lowdown: The blame for the Sabres’ current 10-11-4 record can’t completely be laid at the feet of Ruff. But since Oct. 24, Buffalo has gone 6-7-4 – totals that, in other NHL markets, could be grounds for dismissal. So Ruff has to own his team’s performance, and figure out how to improve this team before their Stanley Cup playoff aspirations are dead and buried for the 15th consecutive season.

Grading The Sabres At The One-Third Mark Of The Season: GM Kevyn AdamsWith the Buffalo Sabres struggling, GM Kevyn Adams is facing intense scrutiny. Has he made the right moves, or is a drastic shakeup needed?

When you’ve won just six times in your most recent 17 games, you have to consider one of two possibilities: the first is that you simply don’t have the talent to win consistently; and the second is that you have neither the structure nor the motivation to do so. Now, the Sabres aren’t utterly bereft of high-end NHL players. So we’re of the opinion that, simply put, Buffalo just isn’t getting the best out of the talent that it currently has. 

That means that Ruff (and Adams) are ultimately to blame for where the Sabres are in the standings right now. And although Ruff has escaped an ‘F’ grade in this story, he’s much closer to that mark than he is to an above-average grade.

Sabres Goalie Roulette Not Working, Samuelsson In Concussion ProtocolBuffalo's three-goalie rotation has not contributed to consistent performance between the pipes

This return to Buffalo will almost assuredly be Ruff’s final pit stop after a long career as an NHL bench boss. But the way things are going, he’s on track to go out not with the ‘bang’ of one last winning stretch, but with the ‘whimper’ of another season lost to underwhelming performances and outright letdowns. And that means Ruff has enormous pressure to turn things around before it’s too late. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Wilson had two goals and an assist, and the Washington Capitals beat the New York Islanders 4-1 on Sunday.

Alex Ovechkin and Aliaksei Protas each scored an empty-net goal as the Capitals extended their win streak to four games. Logan Thompson made 30 saves.

Bo Horvat scored for New York, and Ilya Sorokin had 14 saves.

The Islanders have lost three straight and four of five overall. They dropped to 1-3-2 in matinee games this season with six remaining.

Wilson opened the scoring when he tapped in a pass from Ovechkin on the power play at 7:37 of the first period. Ryan Leonard, the eighth overall pick in the 2023 draft, also picked up an assist on the play.

Sorokin misplayed a puck behind his own net and set up Wilson for his team-high 15th goal with 6:02 left in the second.

Horvat buried a bouncing puck near the top of the crease to make it 2-1 with 6:17 remaining in the third.

The Islanders went 1 for 3 on the power play. They have converted two of their last 34 chances with the man advantage.

Up next

Capitals: At Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Islanders: Host Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins made a roster move on Sunday ahead of their game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.

After losing 7-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, the Penguins sent forwards Tristan Broz and Danton Heinen back to the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Broz made his NHL debut against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday, then was healthy scratched for Friday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Saturday's game against the Leafs. 

Broz is a young player that the Penguins are really excited about. He almost made the NHL roster out of training camp before he was one of the final cuts. If he produces for WBS again (he already has eight goals and 13 points in 18 games), it won't be long before he's called back up.

Heinen also started the season in WBS after not making the NHL roster out of camp. He compiled five goals and 14 points in 10 games before he was called up by the Penguins. He only racked up one assist in nine games before he was sent back down. 

There's a chance that one or both of Justin Brazeau and Noel Acciari return on Monday since they've been making a ton of progress with their respective injuries. 

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By Dillon Collins, feature writer

Looking back on his career, Matt Murray calls his introduction to the NHL both “surreal” and “unexpected.”

Drafted 83rd overall by Pittsburgh in 2012, he was outstanding in his first full season of pro hockey with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, setting an AHL record for the longest shutout streak at 304:11 and setting a record for most shutouts by an AHL rookie goaltender (12). He earned his first NHL call-up just 10 days shy of Christmas 2015. He started 13 regular-season games with Pittsburgh, winning nine of them and posting a .930 save percentage and 2.00 goals-against average.

Then, with Marc-Andre Fleury dealing with post-concussion symptoms as the playoffs began, Murray stepped in to start 21 of the team’s 24 contests as the Penguins went on to edge San Jose to win the 2016 Stanley Cup. Murray had only just turned 22 during the Eastern Conference final.

The following season, the Penguins repeated as Stanley Cup champions. Murray started 47 games, earned a slot on the NHL’s all-rookie team and finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting. In the playoffs, he won seven of 10 starts after replacing a hot-and-cold Fleury in the conference final and finished with a sparkling 1.70 GAA and .937 SP.

The back-to-back Cups gave him an understanding of the true cost of success at an elite level.

“It taught me a lot about winning, but also about the sacrifice and the price of winning,” said Murray, now 31. “And there is a major, major price. All that stuff, I’m sure, accelerated the wear and tear on my hips. I was basically in shambles the whole time physically, so there’s a major price to winning like that. But there’s no better feeling once you get through it.”

The Penguins traded Murray to Ottawa on Oct. 7, 2020. However, his tenure in Canada’s capital was short-lived, as the Sens flipped him to division rival Toronto in the summer of 2022. With injuries mounting, Murray only suited up for a combined 54 NHL/AHL regular- and post-season games over the next three seasons.

But his hip issues dated as far back as his pro debut in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton nearly a decade prior.

“The unfortunate part about when you’re dealing with injuries, the way I have, is that most of the time your energy is going towards fighting those injuries or fighting back from those injuries,” he said. “At the time, I was probably 21, maybe even 20 years old. It just sounds a little early to be having double hip surgery.”

Murray’s choice to take on the “pretty severe” bilateral hip surgery on Oct. 9, 2023, came at the cost of nearly the entire 2023-24 season. But it was a boost to his quality of life.

As he entered the summer of 2024 fully healthy for the first time in his professional career, the then-30-year-old Murray opted to re-sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. This summer, he signed with the Seattle Kraken, reuniting with former colleagues Jason Botterill, Lane Lambert and goalie coach Colin Zulianello.

He now has a chance to rediscover his game and play meaningful minutes with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds while providing depth at the NHL level alongside Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer.

“You want to be in an environment that you enjoy going to every day and where you’re going to be put in a position to have some success,” Murray said. “I knew that’s what I would get with the people here. I think that’s all you could ask for as a player.”

Reflecting on his decade in the pros – filled with pleasure and pain, and the highs and lows that have dominated his career – Murray has one key piece of advice for his younger self.

“Chill out and enjoy it,” he said. “I think you learn that as you get older. If you’re young, you’re full of energy but also full of nervous energy and some anxiety. That would probably be the main thing. Just chill out, enjoy the ride. And that’s what I’m doing now.”

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This is an excerpt of a feature that appeared in The Hockey News' Prospects Unlimited issue. We profile plenty of top prospects such as Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard, Zeev Buium and Marco Kasper. 

Elsewhere in the issue, we take a look at each NHL team's prospect pool, and we explore several PWHL teams, as well as features on the AHL, ECHL and the NCAA. 

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 Philadelphia Flyers didn’t simply end four-game their road trip on Monday night—they closed it, sealed it, and stamped it in a 5–2 win over the New Jersey Devils.

On the second half of a back-to-back, against a team undefeated in regulation at home, with tired legs and little margin for error, the Flyers had a lot of circumstances working against them, but played hard throughout the 60 minutes.

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1. Dan Vladar Stole the Moments That Needed Stealing

There’s a certain type of win that feels less like a goalie “doing his job” and more like a goalie changing the temperature in the building. This was one of those nights for Dan Vladar.

New Jersey pushed hard consistently—and pushed even harder once the Flyers built a lead—but Vladar did the thing great goalies do: he shut the door exactly when his team needed a stop to stabilize the game. His saves weren’t quiet, either. They were sprawling, edge-of-the-crease, full-extension moments that sucked the air out of the Devils’ forecheck and kept the Flyers from drowning under New Jersey’s speed and transition pressure.

Vladdy was EVERYWHERE.#PHIvsNJD | @BankofAmericapic.twitter.com/e9NO3nfM10

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 30, 2025

In a building where no opponent had earned a regulation win this season, Vladar gave the Flyers a backbone. And on the second night of a back-to-back, that’s the difference between hanging on and actually finishing the job.

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2. Owen Tippett Reaches Two Career Milestones.

Owen Tippett’s 100th career goal and 200th career point weren’t just nice round numbers. They were a snapshot of the player he has been looking to grow into: a physical, fast, disruptive winger who creates his own offense and forces defenders to give him space.

He added an assist, earned an empty-net goal via penalty, and logged yet another multi-point night—the kind of all-situations, assertive performance that defines good wingers. Tippett has been trending upward as of late, but this one felt like it could be the beginning of a breakthrough: a statement game in a tough building that showed what it looks like when his speed and pace take over.

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3. Matvei Michkov Continues His Rise Into Real Flyers History.

Another game, another point, and another moment where Matvei Michkov reminded everyone that he’s not just talented—he’s special.

His seventh goal of the season extended his point streak to three games and, more notably, marked his 33rd career goal, passing Peter Zezel for the fourth-most goals by a Flyers player age 20 or younger. (He will turn 21 on Dec. 9.)

The names ahead of him? Oh, you know, just Eric Lindros, Simon Gagné, and Mike Ricci.

Michkov’s game in Newark was another example of his growing edge and opportunism—how he reads the play, how he anticipates pockets of space, and how he converts chances with a shooter’s confidence. 

MM39 knew exactly where to be. #PHIvsNJD | #LetsGoFlyerspic.twitter.com/wjAO9uJrdH

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 30, 2025

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4. The Core Playmakers Drove the Offense—and Did It the Right Way.

The Flyers have enjoyed some incredibly balanced scoring across all four lines, but a core of difference-makers has been established, and they showed up against the Devils.

Travis Konecny had another multi-point night, continuing to look like the emotional and competitive spark of this team.

Trevor Zegras, now with points in both games against New Jersey and in back-to-back outings, added another goal and assist to lead the Flyers with 24 points.

How Trevor Zegras Is Rebuilding His Game—and His Reputation—with Flyers There's a moment from the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a>' shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday that sums up everything you need to know about <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/what-every-flyer-needs-this-season-in-one-sentence">Trevor Zegras</a> right now.

Travis Sanheim logged two assists, stabilizing the defense while driving play north with confidence.

Cam York, already leading all Flyers defensemen in points, added his 11th assist, building on his growth as a transitional driver.

Christian Dvorak, quietly having one of the most balanced, consistent seasons of any Flyer, picked up his 10th assist and 16th point, keeping him third in team scoring.

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5. This Win Said Something.

Beating the Devils in Newark this season? No one had done it in regulation. Doing it on tired legs? That’s another layer. Doing it while protecting a lead instead of chasing one—a scenario that has challenged the Flyers at times this year—adds another wrinkle.

The Flyers managed the neutral zone, protected the slot, finished chances when they appeared, stuck together when the Devils surged, won the goaltending battle, and stayed composed under late pressure. They didn’t blink. And in the final game of a road trip, that’s often the hardest thing to do.

Rick Tocchet notched his 300th career win as an NHL head coach, and you couldn’t script a more fitting performance to capture the identity he’s imprinting on this group: hard, fast, competitive, resilient, and full of players stepping into more responsibility..

Goaltender Laurent Brossoit appears to be nearing a return from a lengthy injury that he suffered in the 2023-24 playoffs.

He suffered a knee injury, forcing him to miss the remainder of those playoffs, and he missed the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Brossoit isn’t far out from a conditioning stint in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs, the Chicago Blackhawks’ farm team. 

With this situation, the Blackhawks already carry Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom on the roster between the pipes. In addition, Brossoit’s $3.3-million cap hit is a lot to carry for a netminder who hasn’t played in well over a year.

Therefore, on “Saturday Headlines,” Friedman reported that Chicago has given other teams permission to speak with the 32-year-old about a potential trade. This transparency also allows other clubs to understand the goaltender’s situation.

“The Blackhawks have given teams permission to talk to him,” Friedman reported on Saturday. “So you can understand what his situation is, what his exact surgery was, what the process is back.”

With this report, all signs point to a potential trade for Brossoit. However, his cap hit would remain an obstacle.

“Not everybody can take that,” he said. “There might be some work that needs to be done here.”

On Friday’s edition of 32 Thoughts, the podcast, Friedman and co-host Kyle Bukauskas made connections with the Edmonton Oilers, a team that has struggled to find consistency and good performances in the crease.

Brossoit has ties to Edmonton, playing parts of four seasons with the organization between 2014 and 2018. He also featured in five seasons for the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, winning a WHL championship in 2011-12.

In his NHL career, he was a regular backup goaltender before his injury.

During his last season with the Winnipeg Jets, he played 23 games, putting up a 15-5-2 record, along with a 2.00 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage, and three shutouts.

He’s had multiple impressive seasons like that 2023-24 regular season, including stints with the Vegas Golden Knights, and another with the Jets, that turned out to be his best season statistically.

He was a part of Vegas’ Stanley Cup-winning team in 2022-23. He made 11 regular-season appearances, registering a 7-0-2 record with a 2.17 GAA and a .927 SP. 

In those playoffs, he made eight starts, winning five games for the Golden Knights. He posted a 3.18 GAA and an .894 SP.

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