The Seattle Kraken defeated an Edmonton Oilers roster that featured Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard and starting goaltender Stuart Skinner 4-1 in their third pre-season game. 

The Kraken got the scoring started in the first period despite minimal efforts on goal, but they never felt like the game was ever getting away from them.

Jagger Firkus tapped in a power play goal on a rebound, and Logan Morrison scored his first of the pre-season, before Ben Meyers and Jani Nyman scored insurance markers in the third period. Joey Daccord and Nikke Kokko turned away 24 of the 25 shots they faced.

Here are three standout performers from last night's win:

Tyson Jugnauth

The 21-year-old blueliner took part in his first pre-season game of the season and fit in perfectly. He recorded 18:13 of ice time, and despite not recording any points, Jugnauth looked comfortable with the puck on his stick and in the defensive zone.

His defensive skills were put to the test on several occasions, including defending consecutive 2-on-1s that featured McDavid, the world's best hockey player. Jugnauth stayed calm and composed, deflecting a pass by Draisaitl intended for McDavid and then later forcing Ekholm into a weak shot and negating any passing lane to send the puck to McDavid. 

In the third period, Jugnauth defended a 3-on-1, once again deflecting a pass before the Oilers could get off a Grade A chance. 

Jugnauth, AGAIN! This time, it's a 3-on-1, and he breaks it up! #SeaKrakenhttps://t.co/mzZ8UXnAAZpic.twitter.com/VDDW4bKSsQ

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 25, 2025

Jagger Firkus

Firkus is a point producer, and he has been throughout his entire junior career and in the early stages of his pro career. Last night, we got a glimpse of how Firkus can leave his imprint on hockey games. 

The power play goal capped off the strong performance, but the 21-year-old was making nifty passes and was eager to get the puck into high-danger scoring areas. He finished the game with a goal and three shots on target in 14:39 of ice time. 

Ben Meyers and Logan Morrison

Meyers and Morrison each finished with a goal and an assist in last night's game, and the duo looked like they fit in at the NHL level. They each filled the score sheet and were effective offensive chance creators throughout the game. 

Meyers finished with two shots on goal, four hits and two blocks in 17:10 of ice time, while Morrison put up three shots on goal, one hit and one block in 13:21 of ice time. Meyers and Morrison are likely on the outside looking in for an NHL roster spot, but with the injuries the Kraken are facing, the pair have moved up the depth chart and could be one of the first names called up from the AHL to start the season. 

Honorable mention to Oscar Fisker Molgaard, who has come as advertised in his first two pre-season games. The 20-year-old has two assists, but his attention to detail and defensive acumen have been noticeable.  If he can carry the momentum into the start of the AHL season, Fisker Molgaard could see some NHL action towards the tail end of the season. 

Several Kraken Prospects Shine In Pre-Season Opener Against CanucksThe Seattle Kraken kicked off the beginning of pre-season with a 5-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks, dressing several NHL players and top prospects. 

Despite the comments he made at the end of his tenure, John Tortorella insists he never quit on the Philadelphia Flyers... or anything else, for that matter.

Tortorella, 67, was fired by the Flyers on March 27, just two days after a 7-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs that prompted the veteran coach to say, "I'm not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season, where we're at right now."

But, Tortorella wanted to set the record straight on why he said what he said. In his eyes, he didn't want to become the guy who lets everyone off easy at the end of the year because they're miles off a playoff position.

“It was kind of weird for me, getting fired with nine games left. It really surprised me. [General manager Danny Briere] and I did have some disagreements on discipline of a player, had some disagreements the last few weeks of that season," Tortorella told Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com. "I loved coaching them."

One such incident of discipline handed down by Tortorella was the benching of Cam York during that game against the Maple Leafs, when the 24-year-old's night ended after just eight shifts and 3:50 of ice time.

Matvei Michkov Says He Was 'Very Upset' When Flyers Fired John TortorellaThe relationship between star Philadelphia Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov and fired head coach John Tortorella was much better than many have made it out to be.

York was benched by interim head coach Brad Shaw for the entirety of the following game for disciplinary purposes, too, but then things eventually blew over.

“I’ve seen teams be really good playing out a season when it means nothing. You’re relaxed. I’ve seen players play better," added Tortorella. "I don’t want to be that guy. It was out of respect to my team that I was not doing a good job. I wasn’t. Do I think I should have got fired for it? No, but I have too much respect for those players to kick the hell out of them right to the bitter end.

“It was the right thing to do by Danny [to sell at the deadline]. They’re doing it the right way, and I was on board with that. But it’s hard. It’s hard for those guys, and that’s what I was trying to say after Toronto.”

With his team falling out of playoff position two seasons in a row, Tortorella had to cope with the departures of players like Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, Scott Laughton, and Sean Walker ahead of the last two NHL trade deadlines.

The key difference from 2024 to 2025 was that in 2025, the Flyers were never particularly close to the postseason and ultimately finished with the fourth-worst record in the NHL.

How John Tortorella Protected Matvei Michkov in Flyers Debut, Rookie SeasonJohn Tortorella may not be the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers anymore, but in his short time coaching rookies Matvei Michkov and Jett Luchanko, the polarizing bench boss left his mark.

Tortorella also assured Cotsonika he wants to coach again, regardless of what others think of how things ended with the Flyers.

“Do I want to coach again? Yeah. I heard a couple NHL coaches accuse me [of quitting on the team]. Did I quit on the team after those comments I made in Toronto? I haven’t quit on a [bleeping] thing in my life. Those comments were totally taken out of [context]," Tortorella said.

“Listen, I don’t think I explained myself totally correctly, either. But I miss it already. I miss preparing [for] camp. I miss the camaraderie of camp. Yeah, I want to coach, so we’ll see what happens.”

The gruff coach's next opportunity at the NHL level will have to wait, as all of the offseason vacancies have been filled in between his dismissal from the Flyers and now.

In the interim, Tortorella will be coaching the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, where he'll be joined by new New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan, Minnesota Wild head coach John Hynes, and Rangers assistant coach David Quinn.

The Montreal Canadiens will be playing their third preseason game tonight, and Martin St-Louis is pulling no punches. For the first time, he’s going to be icing his full projected top six, his top defensive pairing, starter Samuel Montembeault, and Jacob Fowler.

That means that on Thursday night, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kirby Dach is going to see his first real action since sustaining yet another knee injury in February. There were rumours of setbacks this summer, and then, when camp started, he only took part in one of the three scrimmages, which of course prompted questions from the media. The coach said that there was a plan and he was sticking to it, before adding that Dach would see some preseason action.

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Asked what he thought about the big center so far at Camp, the pilot explained:

I think he’s really involved and intense. Now it’s time to play the game tonight, take one shift at a time, and make the plays the game calls for. Please get back into the swing of things, but we’ll continue to evaluate and stick to the plan we have for him. […] I wouldn’t call it a leash. I think Dacher is in a better place. He did things differently this summer, and I think he’s further along. So I think he will be more ready to get going right away.

-

Turns out it’s time for that action now. While the bench boss said Dach was penciled in as the second-line center this season, he still needs to see what the Albertan center can offer and if some chemistry can bloom between him, Patrik Laine, and Ivan Demidov. Needless to say, everyone will be keeping an eye on that line when the puck drops on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, the Leafs have opted for a lineup that doesn’t include any of their marquee names, such as Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Morgan Rielly. However, they are bringing along promising prospects Easton Cowan and Matias Maccelli, who might find their way into a top-six role. Former Hab Max Domi, who’s dealing with a lower-body injury, won’t be part of the roster, but there will be one former Canadien: Micheal Pezzetta. Cedric Pare, who injured Laine last year, will not be in the lineup.

As for the bottom of the Canadiens' lineup, it will include two interesting young lines: Filip Mesar, Vinzenz Rohrer, and Joshua Roy will be skating together, while Florian Xhekaj will center Jared Davidson and Luke Tuch. It will be another opportunity for these young players to showcase their abilities.

On the blueline, David Reinbacher, who had a tough outing Tuesday, will be paired with Kaiden Guhle while Lane Hutson has a day off. Ryan O’Rourke and Nate Clurman will complete the defense corps.

It will be interesting to see if the Cola Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky line can perform as well as they did on Tuesday night. At practice on Thursday morning, Slafkovsky was wearing a full cage following the skate to the face he took in the game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The puck drop is set for 7:00 PM, and this is the second-to-last home exhibition game. On Saturday, the Canadiens will face the Leafs again, this time in Toronto, before taking on the Ottawa Senators on September 30 in Quebec City and playing them again in Montreal on October 4.

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While the odds of making a loaded championship-caliber lineup are long, Atro Leppänen is making a name for himself early in the preseason with the Edmonton Oilers.

Fresh off a record-setting season in Finland’s SM-Liiga, where he led all defensemen with 63 points, he is turning heads early in Edmonton Oilers training camp, and the Finnish defenseman is embracing the challenge of adapting to the NHL. He chose the Oilers -- a team with a tough lineup to crack -- and despite the hurdles, has aspirations to play in Edmonton.  

Speaking with Leppänen after Wednesday's preseason loss to the Seattle Kraken, the defenseman shared his thoughts on adjusting to the pace of the NHL and his decision to join the Oilers.

“The speed is very fast compared to what I’m used to, but I’ve been able to move the puck well and play pretty solid defensively,” Leppänen said. "It's a little bit faster, but just to get used to a couple of shifts and then it's gone."

Leppänen, 26, signed with the Oilers in the spring after weighing options from multiple teams. “They reached out in the spring, and another team did as well,” he explained. “It was an intuition choice. The Oilers had good players and nice plays, so it was a pretty easy decision.” He also had some familiarity with the organization, having played with Finnish teammates who had connections to Edmonton.

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Adjusting to the smaller North American ice surface hasn’t been a major hurdle. “Honestly, it hasn’t been that bad,” he said. "I think, pretty fast and well, and the forecheck is harder. They check and hit harder, but just move the puck, and guys are good that you play with."

Leppänen's Path to the NHL Has Been An Interesting One

Leppänen's recent strides towards a shot at the NHL seem all the more impressive when you consider where he's come from. He recounted the challenges of balancing hockey with odd jobs during his younger years. “I worked in factories and even in a museum, watching the paintings,” he said with a laugh. "Nobody touched the painting. Yeah, that was my job.“

He said he had no interest in anything beyond hockey. "I mean, I was pretty young and had no really interest in going to school, yet I didn't really have anything that I else that I wanted to do. So why not just play? It wasn't really that hard of a decision, I wasn't thinking about too much about quitting and stuff like that most of the time. So it was just to play and had nothing else to do. So why not?"

His hard work has paid off. The defenseman signed a one-year deal with the Oilers, and while his immediate path might lead him to the AHL, head coach Kris Knoblauch didn't rule out a scenario where Leppänen could get NHL games. 

Defenseman Atro Leppänen Making Things Interesting For The OilersAtro Leppänen is quickly becoming one of the most intriguing storylines of the Edmonton Oilers' training camp and preseason. The 26-year-old Finnish defenceman is set to play in his third straight preseason game tonight, earning more looks after a string of impressive performances.

Knoblauch said when asked where Leppänen might fit on a team that seemingly has no spots, that he is looking for the best player at every position. That message seems to have been passed on to Leppänen, who isn't done fighting for a spot on the roster. When asked if he was used to fighting, he suggested that was a strong choice of words, even hinting that battling might not be the best description. 

Still, he gets the notion he's going to have to stand out to earn a spot.

When asked, "Why did you like some guys would pick a team that's easier to make, it's hard team to make two Stanley Cups in a row... Did you think about that?" He responded, "So I'm kind of used to it, and it's just kind of grind it out." He added, "I mean, it's definitely a tough lineup to crack. I think, I think there's a chance."

Leppänen Seems Appreciative Of The Opportunity

Leppänen credited the coaching staff for their guidance. “They’ve been very positive, telling me to keep moving the puck and playing my style. That’s what I plan to do,” he said.

I specifically brought up how much he's playing thus far in preseason, getting several games in a row and big minutes in those games. Was this something he wanted to keep doing, taking as many opportunities as would be tossed his way? “I mean, sure, the more you play, I think even, it can be a little bit more exhausting, but you get the feel for the game, and you can get a little bit of flow going. So it's, I think it's easier to more you play, kind of easier to go."

"I think just kind of once in a lifetime chance to come, and if you get it, get the opportunity. Just gotta take it."

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The Pittsburgh Penguins made another cut on Thursday, assigning defensive prospect Quinn Beauchesne to the OHL's Guelph Storm.

Beauchesne, a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, was at Penguins' training camp for a week before getting cut. Before that, he participated in the Prospects Challenge and was one of the Penguins' best prospects in those three games. He showcased his fluid skating, snarl, and ability to break the puck out of his zone with ease. 

Those traits can definitely translate to the NHL, but he still needs to keep developing, and the Penguins don't want to rush him. He finished last season with six goals and 24 points in 49 games with the Storm, and will be an assistant captain for them this year. 

He's a prospect that a lot of fans should keep an eye on this year. The Penguins may have gotten a steal in the fifth round. 

The Penguins will return to practice on Friday, and it's expected to be a special day, as Marc-Andre Fleury will practice with the team before his sendoff on Saturday night. 

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Utah Mammoth goaltender Connor Ingram is among seven players placed on NHL waivers Thursday afternoon.

Ingram, along with Philadelphia Flyers left winger Oscar Eklind and the Ottawa Senators' Hunter Shepard, Cameron Crotty, Wyatt Bongiovanni, Xavier Bourgault and Garrett Pilon are on waivers. 

If these players clear waivers by 2 p.m. ET on Friday, they're eligible to be sent to the minors. That said, the rest of the league has a chance to claim them.

Ingram, 28, and the Mammoth plan to mutually part ways. He has not been part of Utah's training camp despite being cleared to play by the NHL and NHLPA's Player Assistance Program on Aug. 20.

"We'll at some point in time put him through waivers, and through that process, he will either get a chance to play for another NHL team, or he will go to an (AHL) team," Armstrong told reporters last week. "But at the end of the day, he will be playing, and that's what we're so excited for."

Ingram played 22 games last season before entering the NHL/NHLPA program on March 9. He put up a 9-8-4 record, 3.27 goals-against average and .882 save percentage.

In 2023-24 with the Arizona Coyotes, Ingram took over starting duties with 50 games played, a 23-21-3 record, 2.91 GAA, .907 SP and six shutouts. He received the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy that season.

Arizona had claimed Ingram off waivers from the Nashville Predators in October 2022. He did play one game for the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners last season but otherwise last played in that league in 2021-22 with the Predators' affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.

Ingram is in the final campaign of a three-year contract with a $1.95-million cap hit.

Utah Mammoth And Connor Ingram Reportedly Parting WaysUtah Mammoth goaltender Connor Ingram will reportedly not attend the team’s training camp this week.

The other six players on the waiver wire spent most, if not all, of last season in the AHL.

Eklind, 27, played his first season in North America last year after working through the junior, second-tier and first-tier Swedish men's leagues. He had five goals and 17 assists for 22 points in 64 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Flyers' affiliate. He's on a one-year contract worth $800,000.

Senators goaltender Shepard, 29, had played all of his professional career in the Washington Capitals' system, backstopping the Hershey Bears to two Calder Cup championships in 2022-23 and 2023-24. He was named the AHL's playoff MVP in 2022-23 and the best goaltender in 2023-24. He put up a 23-11-4 record with a 2.80 GAA and .891 SP in 39 games for the Bears, along with a 2-5-0 record in the playoffs. He has five games of NHL experience and signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 with Ottawa this off-season.

Crotty, a 26-year-old defenseman, captained the Iowa Wild, AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, last season. He had 10 assists and 56 penalty minutes in 64 games. In 2017-18, he was part of the Boston University team that was Hockey East champions in the NCAA. The Coyotes drafted him 82nd overall in 2017, and he's played two career NHL games. The Sens signed the Ottawa native to a two-year, two-way contract worth $812,500 annually.

Bongiovanni, a 26-year-old forward who can play center or on the wing, put up 22 goals and 11 assists for 33 points in 54 games for the Belleville Senators last season. He's on a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000.

Bourgault, 22, played his first season with Belleville last year after being traded in a package that sent Roby Jarventie to the Edmonton Oilers. The 2021 22nd overall pick by Edmonton recorded 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in 61 games. The right winger is on a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000.

Pilon, 27, captained the B-Sens last season and recorded 11 goals and 37 assists for 48 points in 68 games. He won the Calder Cup with Hershey in 2022-23 and has played three career NHL games. He's in the second campaign of a two-year, two-way contract worth $775,000.

Expect many more names to hit the NHL waiver wire over the next two weeks as teams trim their training camp rosters.

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