The Edmonton Oilers are waiting for Connor McDavid to decide what he wants to do in regards to a contract extension. The superstar has one year remaining on his current deal at $12.5 million, but speculation is everywhere about the kind of extension he'll sign. 

Even if the Oilers get what they want, which is an eight-year extension that locks McDavid in as the salary cap rises, the organization should give their captain an internal window to win. 

McDavid will dictate the terms of his extension and the Oilers will gladly oblige. If he wants two years, Edmonton will sign that extension. If he wants four, they'll do that too. If McDavid has no desire to leave his buddy Leon Draisaitl, and chooses to lock in long-term, the Oilers will say 'Thank you, how much would you like?'

That doesn't mean Edmonton should give McDavid carte blanche to control the narrative in Edmonton when it comes to winning and losing, roster construction, or trade conversations. 

Would Trading McDavid Be The End of the Oilers?

During a recent interview on the Empty Netters Podcast, former NHL defenseman James Wisniewski said, “Do you think Edmonton’s going to have a duplicate Wayne Gretzky? Let’s talk about this. I think it’s going to happen.”

Co-host of the show, Dan Powers added, “Edmonton would cease to exist.”

Oilers Full 2025-26 Regular Season ScheduleEDMONTON – Public service announcement time.

That's some serious hyperbole there, even if a McDavid trade were to hit the city nearly as hard as the fan base was emotionally stung by the Gretzky trade. Still, at some point, one has to ask, 'When is enough, enough?'

The Oilers Should Consider a McDavid Trade In Year Four

If McDavid signs a long-term deal, the Oilers should be open to the idea that trading McDavid might be the correct play. As hard as it would be to watch another generational talent move on, McDavid's job isn't just to be the best player in the world. The Oilers need him to lead them to another Stanley Cup. If he can't do that in the next four seasons, it will be time to try something else. 

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Granted, McDavid may ultimately beat the Oilers to the punch if the organization doesn't win it all. But, if he decides to end his NHL career in Edmonton, the Oilers can't get complacent. Playing with Draisaitl is all well and good, but like the "Core Four" in Toronto, if it doesn't work, there has be change and the Oilers can't be afraid to make it. 

McDavid is the best player in the NHL. There is undeniable faith he and the Oilers will get over the hump and win the Stanley Cup while he's in his prime. However, his trade value won't remain outrageously high forever. If the Oilers need to move on and get a Gretzky-like return, that won't happen in the fifth or sixth year of McDavid's extension. 

There should be an understanding by both sides, regardless of the length of his contract extension, that winning is of the utmost importance. If it doesn't happen, a sit-down about his future should take place. 

The hope in Edmonton is that it never comes to that. At the same time, GM Stan Bowman and the organization need to be pragmatic about their expectations.

The biggest contract in the NHL has to come with some responsibility. In other words, the Oilers should say, 'We'll give you want you want, for however long you want. But, you've got four years to lead us to a Cup. If that doesn't happen, let's both agree that we'll talk about your future and the direction of this team.'

What Is The Risk In Having This Conversation With McDavid?

Do the Oilers have the stones to tell McDavid that his new extension comes with strings attached? It seems risky to do so, given that he could wait if he doesn't like what's said and bolt as an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season. At the same time, McDavid seems to be the kind of player who is already putting that pressure on his shoulders. 

He said at the end of the season, “If I feel that there’s a good window to win here over and over again, then signing is no problem.” What he didn't mention was that he's arguably the biggest factor in the Oilers' ability to win. Yes, the team around him needs to be championship material. However, regardless of who is on the roster, everyone follows his lead. 

The Oilers go as McDavid goes. If he can't lead this team to where it needs to go in a reasonable amount of time, both sides can't be afraid to have that difficult conversation. 

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Dylan Garand is knocking on the door, and it’s hard for the New York Rangers to ignore. 

The 2020 fourth-round pick has steadily improved each year and is now the premier goalie for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League. 

This past season was Garand’s best as a professional. He recorded a 20-10-9 record, .913 save percentage, and 2.73 goals against average while also representing the Atlantic Division at the AHL All-Star Game during the 2024-25 season.

While the Rangers have Igor Shesterkin, who will likely be the team’s starter for the next decade, Garand has potential to be a legitimate NHL goalie, and there’s certainly a role waiting for him with the Rangers. 

The Rangers signed Jonathan Quick to a one-year contract extension, so he’ll be the backup goalie barring anything unforeseen. 

However, Quick is 39 years old, and he’s not a long-term solution at the backup position, which opens the door for Garand in the future. 

If the 23-year-old goalie continues on his current trajectory in terms of development, he should have no problem securing a roster spot with the Blueshirts sooner rather than later. 

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Garand made clear that he’s already prepared to take on a regular NHL role. 

“I haven't gotten any opportunity in the NHL yet, but obviously I’m ready whenever my opportunity does come,” Garand said.

Regardless of whether he has to play in the American Hockey League this upcoming season, the future seems to be bright for Garand.

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Return Of The Jets - Aug. 1 2011 - 2011-12 Yearbook - Tim Campbell

It’s a tale of two cities – one a seller in 1995 and the other a buyer in 2011.

They are both Winnipeg.

The announcement of the NHL’s return to the Manitoba capital, giving Canada a seventh franchise for the 2011-12 season, came 5,510 dark days after the Winnipeg Jets were punted from the Stanley Cup playoffs in 1996. The hit to civic pride and to community confidence was no small thing when the team, sold to American businessmen Richard Burke and Steven Gluckstern, packed up and moved to Phoenix 15 years ago.

The second-guessers still have a field day with it, but that outcome was unavoidable despite the groundswell of everyman support in the critical hours that preceded the lame-duck season of 1995-96. Kids and families broke open their piggybanks. Good ol’ Manitoba socials collected up the coins and bills. An estimated 35,000 fans rallied one day at The Forks. Pass-the-hat schemes of all sorts came up with an excess of $10 million to save the team. But the ominous forces were much larger and more powerful than that.

Player salary escalation had begun in the early ’90s. A U.S. dollar then cost more than $1.35 Canadian. The 1950s-era Winnipeg Arena was an outdated facility with no bona fide luxury boxes or revenue upside. Plus, the city-owned rink was run by an organization of bureaucratic middlemen who only served to split revenue and impede any solution.

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Under a now-infamous 1991 agreement, city and provincial politicians agreed to cover the team’s losses in return for time to study building a new arena. (The 1991 cost of that arena would have been less than $70 million.) While they kicked the problem down the road, losses soared to near $20 million per season by 1996 and there was simply no public or political will to stomach it any longer.

When two local bids to buy the team fell through – a new building was promised too late by politicians and projected short-term losses were oppressive – there was no Winnipeg entity or individual who stepped up to own the Jets and the team’s largest private partner, Barry Shenkarow, was left with no other option but to sell to outsiders for $64 million.

The genesis of the May 31, 2011 purchase of the Atlanta Thrashers by True North Sports & Entertainment partners Mark Chipman and David Thomson came only three years or so after Phoenix welcomed the Coyotes.

Chipman, one of the dozen or so Winnipeg young-turk businessmen who tried in vain to save the Jets, had acquired the International League’s Minnesota Moose and moved them to Winnipeg to help fill the hockey hole left by the Jets.

After three years of running the Manitoba Moose, Chipman met with then provincial premier and now Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. Gary Doer to probe a course for a much-needed new arena. It took two more years of haggling and rounding up partners and a plan – all of it well below radar – before Chipman rolled out the vision and the deal for what would become the MTS Centre, a $133-million sports and entertainment facility.

Three levels of government contributed just more than $40 million to the downtown project and have long since recouped their investment via taxation on materials, labor and events. The 15,015-seat arena opened in the fall of 2004 and has been a money-maker and top-ranked venue ever since.

Chipman’s deal-making had another important phase, also key to the return-of-the-NHL-story.

In early 2001, behind-the-scenes negotiations to merge the American League and IHL reached a fever and it was during that process that Chipman first engaged NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Chipman worked regularly but subtly on that line of communication. He was careful not to make any mistakes with the MTS Centre’s construction that would preclude him from an NHL shot.

The arena’s early success and True North’s and Chipman’s style of measured business practice earned an invitation from the NHL’s executive committee to make the case for Winnipeg in January of 2007, along with Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas and Seattle. True North’s eye on the NHL went from wishful to practical after the NHL’s 2005 collective bargaining agreement with the NHL Players’ Association, one that featured a salary cap system. Combined with a far healthier Canadian dollar, the organization turned its energy to homework and preparation, a strategy that paid off when the Coyotes went into bankruptcy in 2009.

New Winnipeg Jets Top 10 Prospect Rankings Features Yager, Lambert and MoreThe Hockey News has released its archive to all THN subscribers: 76 years of history, stories, and features.

Winnipeg’s legitimacy as a market was revealed in a Bettman affidavit in the Coyotes case and when that team was on the precipice of relocation in the spring of 2010, Chipman and True North quietly served as Bettman’s backup plan and leverage.

Engaging that process without so much as a press conference, True North earned the NHL’s trust, familiarized itself with franchise deal-making and learned much about converting the hunger for big-league hockey in its own market.

When the Thrashers’ owners could find no local buyer in early 2011, Winnipeg’s True North was more than ready. So were the city’s fans, who gobbled up 13,000 season tickets and 8,000 spots on a waiting list in less than 72 hours. There’s also a wait list for the arena’s 55 suites.

Euphoria always subsides, however, and it’s the long run that will validate the NHL’s first relocation in 14 years.

Game tickets are virtually all sold for the first three seasons and most are for five, so the final piece to the puzzle will be the depth of corporate support in Winnipeg. It has been questioned far and wide, but True North president and CEO and Jim Ludlow believes it’s a too-easy, lazy criticism of a city that’s in far better shape than 15 years ago.

Ludlow cited major changes in Winnipeg in the past seven years, about the span that has seen a stable-yet-vigorous economy stimulate a doubling in long-stagnant real estate prices. “We’ve concentrated on understanding both the macro issues of the NHL and the micro issues of Winnipeg,” Ludlow said. “We’ve spent a lot of time looking at those. Irrespective of what some non-Winnipeg-based experts might speculate, our local experience tells us to be cautiously optimistic and reasonably confident that the community is going to support NHL hockey.

“Our ticket commitments are long-term; our suite commitments are long-term and our corporate sponsorships are long-term. This is no plunge. It’s a well-executed, well-trained-for and calculated move. We’re not jumping off the dock, holding our breath and closing our eyes.”

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It’s hard to believe that Sidney Crosby has been with the Pittsburgh Penguins for 20 years. It feels like yesterday when the Penguins drafted him first overall in the 2005 NHL Draft. 

He came into the league tabbed as the “next one” with sky-high expectations, and not only has he met them, but he has exceeded them tenfold. He’s one of the five greatest players to ever play in the NHL and is coming off an age-37 season where he finished with 33 goals and 91 points in 80 games. 

It was his third-straight season with 90+ points despite being in his mid-to-late thirties. He has accomplished everything at the NHL and international level, from a World Junior Gold in 2005 to three Stanley Cups and everything in between, including two Olympic Gold Medals, a World Cup title, a World Championship Gold Medal, a 4 Nations Face-Off title, two Conn Smythes, two Rocket Richard Trophies, and two Hart Trophies. 

In honor of today being his 38th birthday, let’s remember some of his finest Penguins’ moments to date. 

“The Goal” in Game 4 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final 

It’s always a blast starting with this memory because of how crucial the goal was. Going into this game, the 2009 Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings had started just like the 2008 one. The Red Wings won the first two at home before the Penguins struck back in Game 3. The Penguins were trying to make sure history didn’t repeat itself in Game 4 since the Red Wings won Game 4 the year prior to go up 3-1 in the series. 

Thankfully, the Penguins got what they wanted after Jordan Staal tied the game with a beautiful shorthanded goal before Crosby scored what would be the game-winner, sending Mellon Arena into a frenzy. They were two of the most important goals of that series, and if they didn’t happen, the Penguins wouldn’t have won the Stanley Cup. The way that Evgeni Malkin was able to still get the pass across to Crosby after being denied the first time was spectacular. Crosby finished the sequence off before being mobbed by both Malkin and Kris Letang. 

This was the moment when many Penguins fans felt that this year could be different and that the Penguins could win this series. In the end, they were right when they beat the Red Wings in seven games. 

Crosby’s OT winner against Tampa Bay, 2016

The Penguins needed a hero in Game 2 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning and found one in Crosby. He hadn’t scored a playoff overtime goal yet, but that changed when he rifled a puck past Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy less than a minute into overtime. The goal won the Penguins the game and sent the series back to Tampa tied at one game apiece.

The Penguins eventually won that series in seven games before beating the San Jose Sharks in six games to win their second Stanley Cup of the Crosby era and fourth in franchise history.  

Sliding goal against Tampa

Let’s go back to January 7, 2007. It was Crosby’s second season in the league, and ultimately started what would be a streak of 16 straight seasons in the playoffs. Before that, Crosby scored an outstanding goal while sliding on the ice. Former Penguin Mark Recchi delivered a gorgeous cross-ice feed for Crosby, who somehow scored at the back corner of the net while sliding. 

It’s a goal that sometimes gets forgotten about when you look at Crosby’s career.

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2013 Islander Magic 

Crosby has torched the New York Islanders throughout his illustrious career, so it’s no surprise that one of his finest goals came against them in the early 2010s. He was fresh off a return from a broken jaw and was facing the Islanders in the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The series was tied at two games all after four games before the Penguins crushed the Islanders in Game 5 before winning the series in Game 6. 

During Game 5, Crosby scored a vintage goal, going through two Islanders defensemen before ripping the puck blocker side past goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. Yes, the Penguins eventually lost to the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Final, but this run still produced an unbelievable moment for Crosby.

Jason Spezza gets walked. 

Crosby put current Penguins assistant general manager and former Ottawa Senator Jason Spezza into a blender during Game 2 of the Penguins-Senators first-round series in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He worked Spezza below the net multiple times before sending the puck back to the point for Kris Letang’s game-winning goal. 

The goal tied the series, which the Penguins eventually won in six games. 

Crosby will try to have some more iconic moments this year for his 21st NHL season. 

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Featured Image Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Red Wings head back to Traverse City for pre-season action this September

The Detroit Red Wings are once again heading north for training camp, returning to Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City from September 18–20 to kick off preparations for the 2025-26 NHL season.

The Red Wings have made Traverse City their annual training camp destination since 1997, establishing a long-standing tradition that connects the team with Northern Michigan hockey fans.

The team will take the ice for the first time on Thursday, Sept. 18, with daily practices and scrimmages continuing through Saturday, Sept. 20. Players, prospects, and tryouts will be split into multiple squads during camp, offering fans a chance to catch early glimpses of the upcoming season’s roster.

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

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Following the three-day camp, the Red Wings will travel to Grand Rapids for the annual Red & White Game on Sunday, Sept. 21 at Van Andel Arena, home of their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. The team will then return to Detroit to open their preseason schedule at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 23, facing off against the Chicago Blackhawks.

A full training camp schedule and roster will be released at a later date with tickets going on sale August 13th. The general ticket pricing works out to be $20 for admission on Thursday or Friday with the ticket price increasing to $30 on Saturday. Limited edition 2025 Training Camp merchandise will be available at the arena’s upper-level store. 

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The Calgary Flames are sticking to their plan, and that plan is clear: build through youth, invest in culture, and create the foundation for long-term, sustainable success.

While some may label it a rebuild, there’s a growing sense that what’s happening in Calgary is more of a revival — a carefully constructed shift toward a new era. Led by GM Craig Conroy, the organization is doubling down on development and practicing patience, without sacrificing competitiveness in the short term.

That mindset extends to Connor Zary, the 23-year-old forward who has made a strong impression in his first two NHL seasons. Despite being an unsigned restricted free agent, the Flames remain confident that a deal will be reached.

“We know it’s going to get done,” Conroy told Sportsnet 960 recently. “Sometimes it just takes a little bit longer. We’ve still got a lot of time in the summer.”

Zary recorded 13 goals and 27 points in 54 games last season, showing poise, pace, and creativity. His emergence as an everyday NHL contributor is an encouraging sign, and a clear indication that the Flames are moving in the right direction.

Beyond Zary, the Flames’ prospect pool is deeper and more exciting than it’s been in years.

Zayne Parekh, Calgary’s first-round pick in 2024, looks like the kind of game-breaking defenceman every team covets. After scoring 107 points in 61 games last season with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, Parekh’s offensive skillset is definitely generating national attention. While he may still need time to develop at the pro level, it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a staple on the Flames’ blue line.

Then there’s Sam Honzek, who has quietly been putting in the work this offseason. After dealing with injuries last year, the 6-foot-4 Slovak forward - drafted 16th overall in 2023 - has reportedly added size and strength to his frame over the summer. With a powerful skating stride and strong two-way instincts, Honzek could become an impactful contributor once he puts all the pieces together.

Cole Reschny, selected 18th overall in 2025, is another forward trending upward. Reschny brings speed, compete, and versatility — and he’s already beginning to push his way into the NHL conversation. Hunter Brzustewicz, acquired in the Elias Lindholm trade, is another defenceman worth watching. Known for his elite hockey sense and crisp puck movement, Brzustewicz could surprise many by making a strong case for NHL minutes this season.

At the collegiate level, Aidar Suniev continues to impress. The 20-year-old winger had 38 points — including 20 goals — in just 35 games at UMass last season, and has shown an impressive ability to generate offense in tight areas. He’s developing quickly and could soon be knocking on the door for NHL opportunities.

Henry Mews, drafted 74th overall in 2024, is set to join the University of Michigan this fall. He’s already building his resume, having represented Team Canada at the recent World Junior Summer Showcase. With high-end offensive upside and a strong international pedigree, Mews adds yet another layer of potential to the Flames’ defensive depth.

However, while all eyes are on the future, one young player is already being counted on in the present.

Goaltender Dustin Wolf enters this season as the expected starter — and the most important player in Calgary’s youth movement. At just 24 years old, Wolf is still young by goalie standards, but he’s already proving more than capable at the NHL level. Last season, he posted a 29–16–8 record, a .910 save percentage, and a 2.64 goals-against average in 53 games. Calm, composed, and technically sound, Wolf is showing signs of becoming the franchise goaltender the organization has long been hoping for.

Wolf’s emergence gives Calgary a solid foundation to build upon, and when paired with a high-end prospect pool and a front office committed to smart, patient development, the outlook becomes a lot more promising.

The Flames aren’t rushing. They’re building something. Slowly, steadily — and most importantly — the right way.

Call it a rebuild if you want, but there’s real optimism forming around this team. Calgary isn’t just resetting — they’re redefining their future.

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By Brian Costello, features writer

New seasons provide new opportunities, which create avenues for players to break out. The 2025-26 season will be no different, and in this article, The Hockey News take a look at the strongest candidates to make a name for themselves or ascend into stardom on the Pacific Division teams.

Anaheim Ducks: Cutter Gauthier

It’s understandable when a 20-year-old stumbles a bit out of the starting gate. That happened to Cutter Gauthier this season. Picked fifth overall (by Philadelphia) in 2022, Gauthier didn’t score a goal until his 16th game last season and didn’t get an assist until his sixth. But as the season wore on, Gauthier ramped things up. He had five goals and 18 points in his first 41 games, then 15 goals and 26 points in the next 41. Next season? Prorate his second half, and you get 30 goals and 52 points. That’s a breakout.

Calgary Flames: Connor Zary

Connor Zary didn’t have the breakout season many expected of him in 2024-25. The expectation was he’d continue to blossom from an impressive rookie season in 2023-24 and almost certainly establish himself as a 20-goal, 50-point top-six regular. But a pair of debilitating injuries knocked the 23-year-old out of the lineup for 28 games and hindered his growth. The Flames are committed to his development and will deploy him on the power play and near the top of the lineup. He will likely top 50 points. 

Edmonton Oilers: Vasily Podkolzin

The Oilers have such a veteran lineup that it’s often the younger players who draw the short straw when games become clutch. Such is the case with 24-year-old Vasily Podkolzin. The 10th pick overall in 2019 (by Vancouver) has more than 200 NHL games under his belt and had a decent first season with the Oilers, generating 24 points and averaging 13:13 of ice time per game. That dropped to around 11 minutes in the playoffs, but as Edmonton’s roster turns over, Podkolzin will get more plum assignments. 

Los Angeles Kings: Brandt Clarke

If defenseman Brandt Clakre can have the type of breakout season that he had to start 2024-25, the Kings would be ecstatic. The eighth-overall pick in 2021 won a starting job in the top four after Drew Doughty got injured in the pre-season. Clarke, now 22, put up 12 points (five on the power play) in his first 13 games and looked to have immediately earned his stripes. But after hitting a rough patch in November, Clarke settled back into a third-pairing role even through the playoffs. He will bounce back. 

San Jose Sharks: Yaroslav Askarov

The Sharks picked up their goalie of the future last summer when they acquired 2020 first-rounder Yaroslav Askarov from Nashville. One of the five stoppers to see time in the Sharks crease this season, Askarov won four of 12 starts but spent most of the season in the AHL refining his game and posting a .923 save percentage. Make no mistake, the 23-year-old Russian will be a full-time Shark this season and start anywhere from 30 to 50 games depending upon which veteran San Jose signs as a summer free agent. 

Seattle Kraken: Matty Beniers

Is it possible for the same player to have two breakout seasons a few years apart? We’ll soon find out if our instincts about Matty Beniers prove correct. The second-overall pick in 2021 truly did have a breakout campaign as a 20-year-old rookie in 2022-23, scoring 24 goals and 57 points and winning the Calder Trophy. After back-to-back disappointing seasons of just 37 and 43 points, there’s hope Beniers can recapture his freshman form and lead the Kraken offensively. Could be that 60 points are in his future.

Vancouver Canucks: Filip Chytil

After arriving from the New York Rangers in the January trade that sent J.T. Miller to Broadway, Filip Chytil scored in his first game with the Canucks. In his next 14 games before going down with a concussion that ended his season, Chytil scored just one more goal but showed plenty of offensive promise centering the third line. The No.21 pick in the 2017 draft is still just 25 and will be given every opportunity to push the boundaries of his 22 goals and 45 points, which were career-highs from 2022-23.

Vegas Golden Knights: Keegan Kolesar

Keegan Kolesar and Nicolas Roy were two big reasons why Vegas had the league’s best fourth line last season. The dynamic duo combined for 27 goals and 61 points playing with depth wingers such as Tanner Pearson, Alexander Holtz, Victor Olofsson and Cole Schwindt. Kolesar is a strong candidate to move up the lineup due to Vegas’ long list of pending UFAs this summer. Kolesar is aggressive, assertive in the corners and has a strong shot. 

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This article appeared in our 2025 Champions issue. Our cover story focuses on the 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, specifically the elite play of defenseman Seth Jones, along with a recap of each game of the Cup final. We also include features on Sharks center Will Smith and Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans. In addition, we give our list of the top 10 moments from the 2024-25 NHL season.

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.

With the New York Islanders having a boatload of centermen, it may seem that Calum Ritchie’s chances of making the big club this fall are slim.

But that doesn’t mean it’s a no.

Islanders Prospect Calum Ritchie Draws High Praise From OHL CoachesNew York Islanders prospect and Oshawa Generals forward Calum Ritchie received impressive recognition in the annual Ontario Hockey League coaches poll.

Jeff Marek of 'The Sheet' asked Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche about Ritchie, who the club acquired at the 2025 NHL trade deadline as part of the return with the Colorado Avalanche for Brock Nelson.

“If Calum comes to training camp and he outplays everyone, I’ll make room for him on the roster,” Darche said.

That’s exactly what a general manager should say about a young player who got a taste of what the NHL life was like, playing seven games for the Avalanche last season before being loaned back to the OHL’s Oshawa Generals for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

However, with Mathew Barzal going back to center and Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Casey Cizikas rounding out the center depth, there’s not really any room down the middle for the 20-year-old former 27th overall pick in 2023.

But it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Cizikas or Pageau, really, could be moved to the wing.

Both, for certain stretches — Cizikas more than Pageau — played on the wing, so that’s an option if the Islanders want Ritchie to develop as a center.

On the flip side, there’s certainly an opening on the wings for Ritchie if he shows a comfortability there.

The only thing we know about the wingers, at this point in time, is that Jonathan Drouin will be playing with Bo Horvat. That’s it.

The other configurations, which include who will round out the “top line,” are unknown at this time with countless possibilities.

There’s no question that Ritchie could beat out Kyle MacLean, Pierre Engvall and Marc Gatcomb for an extra job, but there’s no point in him making the team and not being an everyday player.

If that’s how this all plays out, getting 30 games under Rocky Thompson in Bridgeport is certainly better for his development.

But when it comes to playing every day, could Ritchie finish training camp ahead of Maxim Shabanov or Maxim Tsyplakov, or even Anthony Duclair on the wing depth charts?

Could Ritchie, given his strong skating and playmaking, be someone who can play on Pageau’s wing?

It’s unlikely that Ritchie would get a chance to play on Barzal’s wing, given that both are playmaking forwards — and the whole point of Barzal going back to center is likely because Ritchie isn’t ready to be a No. 2.

But, hey, if Ritchie proves he can be a No. 2 as soon as this fall, that changes everything for how the Islanders can configure their lineup. Barzal could round out the Horvat-Drouin line, and head coach Patrick Roy can go from there.

It wouldn’t be the first time a prospect has shocked an organization in terms of their development progress. It would be the first time in a while that it’s happened on Long Island.

To sum things up, Ritchie making the Islanders shouldn’t shock anyone.

The one thing we know is that Darche values the AHL in terms of development, which is why he had a heavy focus this summer on revamping Bridgeport.

At the end of the day, Darche wants to win. Roy wants to win. And if Ritchie gives the Islanders the best chance at doing that on a consistent basis, he’ll be on this team for the 2025-26 season — whether that’s at center or wing.

The NHL Network is putting together some lists of the top players in the NHL among different positions before the 2025-26 season starts. They just dropped the top-20 wingers in the NHL list. 

No surprise that Nikita Kucherov was number one for the second year in a row. Among the list, four of them were not ranked last year. Matt Boldy is one of those four. 

Matt Boldy makes his Top 20 Wings Right Now list debut! @mnwild | #NHLTopPlayerspic.twitter.com/u0JDRjOlso

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 6, 2025

Boldy, 24, recorded 27 goals during the 2024-25 season and played in all 82 games. He recorded career-highs in assists with 46, points with 73 and game-winning goals with ten. 

In all six playoff games for the Wild, Boldy recorded five goals and seven points. He had one game-winning goal in the series as well. 

His impressive playoff performance and a great regular season has put him among some of the best wingers in the NHL.

We will see what Boldy has in store for the 2025-26 season and if he can jump a little higher on the list next season.

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