Category: Sports News

Former New York Rangers defenseman Niko Mikkola has landed a big payday, as he has signed an eight-year, $40 million contract extension with the Florida Panthers. His extension will kick in during the 2026-27 season. 

Mikkola first signed with the Panthers during the 2023 NHL off-season in free agency after finishing the 2022-23 season with the Rangers. Since then, he has become a key part of Florida's blueline and has won the Stanley Cup twice. Thus, it is understandable that the Panthers have locked him up to this long-term contract extension. 

More of Mikksy!

📝 » https://t.co/XJRqf2bYuspic.twitter.com/GvqZ84ahwd

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) October 2, 2025

Mikkola was acquired by the Rangers with forward Vladimir Tarasenko during the 2022-23 season from the St. Louis Blues. In 31 games with the Rangers that season following the trade, the 6-foot-6 defenseman recorded one goal, three points, 38 blocks, 55 hits, and a plus-4 rating. He also played in seven playoff games for the Blueshirts in 2023, where he recorded two assists, 12 penalty minutes, and a plus-2 rating. 

There is a scene in the third episode of FACEOFF: Inside the NHL Season 2 that, depending on your view of the Pittsburgh Penguins, is either highly inspirational or the saddest thing ever.

In it, Sidney Crosby is sweating and grunting through a set of squats in a workout room that he has personally decorated with portraits of the past 16 Stanley Cup winners. He apparently started putting these pictures up in 2008, after the Penguins lost in the final to the Detroit Red Wings. That summer, Crosby hung a photo of Nicklas Lidstrom hoisting the Cup. He then hung up an empty frame next to it as motivation for the following season.

The Penguins went on to win the Cup in 2009. Since then, Crosby has continued the tradition.

“I always put the winning captain up,” Crosby said in the Prime Video docuseries. “When we lost in ’08, I just wanted as a reminder, so I started doing that. Kept putting them up and leave the empty one there.”

Here’s the thing: no one — and I mean absolutely no one — is picking the Penguins to win the Stanley Cup this season, let alone qualify for the playoffs. The Hockey News' Yearbook predicted that the Penguins, which finished last season in seventh place in the Metro, will end up dead last in the division. But even in what is being framed as a rebuilding year, he still believes that this could also be the year where he adds another one of his photos to the empty frame.

Call him an idealist, if you want. Or delusional. But you have to love the competitiveness fire that still burns brightly inside the veteran captain. You also have to wonder why Crosby is pushing towards a goal that seems so unrealistic and unachievable.

When asked by an off-camera producer what keeps him motivated at this stage of his career, the Penguins captain was succinct in his answer: “I think winning,” he said. “I don’t really know any different.”

Season 2 of Faceoff: Inside the NHL premieres October 3 on Prime Video! pic.twitter.com/g68r9M37xp

— NHL (@NHL) September 30, 2025

FACEOFF: Inside the NHL Season 2 premiers on Prime Video on Oct. 3, with the six-episode docuseries featuring Crosby, the Tkachuk brothers, William Nylander and more.

Episode 3, according to NHL.com, “raises eyebrows and questions as Crosby and his agent, Pat Brisson, talk about his future with the Pittsburgh Penguins.”

“Sid and Pat were just amazing to us on this project,” director Daniel Amigone told NHL.com. “It’s hard to get that kind of access. It was certainly not guaranteed throughout. Hopefully, we represented it accurately, and we stand behind what we have in the show.”

Indeed, Crosby only knows one way. But that way is at odds with the path that the Penguins are forging.

GM Kyle Dubas is not trying to win a championship this season. He’s not even trying to make the playoffs. No, with an over-the-hill roster and a cupboard that is bare of top-end prospects, he’s trying to win the No. 1 pick in the draft. In order to do that, the Penguins need to lose. And they need to lose big — and probably for more than just one season.

So what is Crosby doing staring at a wall of portraits and squatting? It’s like the life-imprisoned convict who keeps his sanity by digging a hole to freedom, only to realize that he’s been digging towards the cell next to him. The goal is not only unrealistic, it’s unreachable.

That is, as long as he remains in Pittsburgh.

Which raises the question: if the only thing motivating Crosby is winning, then why not accept a trade to Colorado or even Montreal, where the chances at winning are much greater than they are in Pittsburgh?

After all, at the age of 38, it’s not like he has many more years of this.

“I mean, I understand it," Crosby said of the speculation surrounding his future while at the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour in September. "It's not something that you want to discuss. You'd rather be talking about who are we getting at the deadline, or where we're at as far as are we one, two or three in the division?

"But, you know, it's one of those things that's the hard part about losing. I think everybody thinks that losing is, the buzzer goes, you lose the game, and that sucks. But there's so much more. It’s the turnover, it's the unknown, the uncertainty, the question marks. That’s the stuff that's tough, and it makes you appreciate all those years of we're competing and going after that big acquisition every single trade deadline. I don't think I took it for granted, but I definitely appreciate it that much more now."

Despite Turnover And Uncertainty, Sidney Crosby Remains Loyal To The Penguins For NowYou can say many things about NHL icon Sidney Crosby.

You could argue that Crosby has won enough and done enough where chasing another Cup isn't that important on his to-do list.

Sure, Crosby’s already a three-time Stanley Cup winner and a two-time Olympic gold medallist who probably deserves to be placed next to Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Gordie Howe on the Mount Rushmore of the greatest players to have laced up their skates.

But he’s also a player who finished in the top-10 in scoring last season with 91 points and who captained Canada to a championship at the 4 Nations Face-Off. In February, Crosby will participate in his third Olympics, where he’ll try to lead the country to its third gold medal.

In other words, he can still win. And he can still help a team, whether it’s a Colorado or Montreal, win. But what he can’t do is help the Penguins win, no matter the motivation and no matter how many squats he’s performing.

"It hasn't changed my approach," he said. "I mean, I still go out there trying to win every single game and try to be the best that I can be. I think that youth and having that energy around you isn't a bad thing, either. And we've got a lot of hungry guys, a lot of competition for spots. So, I think you just try to find different things that you can feed off of, and still continue to learn through it.”

The Columbus Blue Jackets have 11 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #11. 

Let's take a look.

Kevin Dineen - 2001-2003 - Drafted by Hartford in 1982. 

A CBJ Original, Dineen played 129 games for the Jackets and had 29 points in the early days of the franchise. He appeared in only four games in the 2002–03 season with Columbus, and on November 5, 2002, he retired from playing. In 1188 career games, Dineen recorded 355 goals and 760 points while registering 2229 penalty minutes.  

After retiring, he joined the Blue Jackets front office as a Pro Scout and later as an assistant. General Manager. He was the head coach of the AHL's Portland Pirates for six seasons before being hired as the head coach of the Florida Panthers. After two and a half seasons in Florida, he was fired and hired as an assistant by the Chicago Blackhawks. He has since been a head coach for the San Diego Gulls and the Utica Comets of the AHL. After starting the 24-25 season 0-8-0-1, Dineen was fired on November 6th, 2024. 

Craig MacDonald - 2009 - Drafted by Hartford in 1996. 

MacDonald played eight games as a Jacket in 08-09 and had two points. He never played another NHL game after his time in Columbus. 

He left for Germany in 2009 and retired in 2013. 

Chris Clark - 2010 - Drafted by Calgary in 1994. 

Clark played 89 games for Columbus and had 20 points. He never played another NHL game after Columbus.

After retiring from the NHL, he was hired by the Blue Jackets as a Scout. He later moved into the position of Development Coach and did that for 8 years. In 2019, he was promoted to the positions of Director of Player Personnel for Columbus and General Manager of the Cleveland Monsters, and he still holds those positions today. In 2023, he was also named General Manager of Team USA for the World Championships. 

Matt Calvert - 2011-2018 - Drafted by Columbus in 2008. 

Calvert played 416 games as a Jacket and had 149 points. Known as a player who was not afraid to step in front of a puck or lay a huge hit, Calvert personified what it was to be a Columbus Blue Jacket. Calvert was loved by all fans for his toughness and for being a great person.

Forced to retire in 2021 due to medical issues, he co-founded CAL Sports Management, where he is the Director of Recruitment and Development. 

Kevin Stenlund - 2019-2022 - Drafted by Columbus in 2015. 

The big Swede played 71 games as a Blue Jacket and had 20 points. He is currently playing for the Utah Hockey Club, but last season won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers alongside former CBJ goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Elite prospects described Stenlund as "An intelligent, big-bodied center with superb puck handling ability. His greatest asset is his mature mindset: he thinks the game at a high level. Plays a simplified, complete game and doesn't make low-percentage plays. Uses his edges well at a level that suits his style of play - physical and hard to play against; that being said, there is still room for improvement in his skating and first three strides. Protects the puck well."

Unfortunately, it didn't work out for Stenlund in Columbus, which is a shame.  

Adam Fantilli - 2024 - Drafted by Columbus in 2023.

After suffering a brutal skate cut in 2024, he was forced to miss the rest of the season. He scored 12 goals and totaled 27 points. 

Last season, Fantilli got off to a bit of a slow start but really turned it on as the season went on. He would finish the season tied for the team lead with 31 goals. He also chipped in 23 assists and totaled 54 points. 

This season, Fantilli is expected to take yet another step and become the dominating two-way player everyone thinks he can be. With the tutelage of Boone Jenner and Sean Monahan, he should be able to continue to grow into the face of the franchise. 

Luke Kunin - 2025 - Drafted by Minnesota in 2016.

Kunin played 12 games for Columbus after being traded from the San Jose Sharks at the 2025 NHL trade deadline. He failed to register a point in 12 games. 

As a free agent, Kunin signed with the Florida Panthers in August on a one-year deal.

There are 11 days until opening night at NWA. 

The pre-season schedule is as follows:

Saturday, Oct. 4 at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. ET

After that, the Blue Jackets will open the regular season on the road against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.

Let us know what you think below.

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More from THN Columbus

Blue Jackets Place Christián Jaroš On Waivers To Terminate Contract The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed Christián Jaroš on waivers for the purpose of contract termination.

Former Blue Jacket Christián Jaroš Rumored To Be Signing In EuropeWell, it didn't take long for Christián Jaroš to get a job. 

The Ottawa Senators wrapped up their six-day, two-game Quebec City stop on Tuesday night with a 5-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in preseason action. On the scoreboard, the game meant nothing. But on the ice, it turned into a night of bad blood, dirty hits, and settling scores.

It was compelling theatre for fans, but for head coaches Martin St. Louis and Travis Green, it was a wasted opportunity to evaluate players and fine-tune systems. As expected, the nastiness spilled over to social media on Wednesday, with Sens fans and Habs fans going at each other over who started what.

Here are four of the most talked-about nasty moments from Tuesday night’s game. This obviously isn't the complete gospel, because no one sees everything that happens on the ice, and they certainly don't hear everything that might be said, which could spark a fight, hack, or hit that otherwise seems random. And even if they could see and heat it all, everyone interprets things differently.

But I've watched the video carefully, and here's my evaluation of what I think happened in each case.

1. Hayden Hodgson’s Hit from Behind on Alex Newhook

At 16:54 of the second period, Ottawa forward Hayden Hodgson delivered a dangerous hit from behind on Montreal’s Alex Newhook. Hodgson, who got a brief NHL look at the end of last season, is fighting to earn a role with the Senators through physical play. But in his eagerness to impress in that area, he crossed the line.

It was the kind of reckless finish that happens when a player is desperate to make an impact. Hodgson was fined by the NHL on Wednesday, and was fortunate he didn't get suspended. Even more fortunately, Newhook wasn’t seriously injured.

2. Struble’s Cross-Check to Jeník’s Face Was An Accident

Emotions were high in the stoppage right after Hodgson’s hit, as players began jawing. Sens winger David Perron lightly cross-checked Montreal defenseman Jayden Struble. It was nothing. Jenik moved in, and Struble responded by cross-checking him at roughly the same angle Perron had. But Perron got his stick in the way so Struble's stick slid up Perron's and accidentally caught Jeník in the face. Still a penalty, of course. But Struble had no intent, in my opinion, to strike Jenik in the face.

The result, though, was predictable: fights broke out. Arber Xhekaj tangled with Zack MacEwen, while Struble himself squared off with Jeník. The Canadiens got the big upper hand in both scraps.

3. Florian Xhekaj vs. Carter Yakemchuk

Third period now. Montreal’s Jake Evans bumped into Dylan Cozens in a light reverse hit at the Canadiens' blue line. Down 5-0 now, MacEwen didn't like it, so he bodied an unsuspecting Evans after the whistle, shoving him during the hit so he was teetering on top of the boards at the Habs bench. A roughing penalty for sure, but the Xhekaj brothers then both jumped into the scrum to rain blows down on MacEwen.

I swear, it reminded me of Slapshot in the scene where the Hansen brothers worked over an opponent together in the corner, and he just topples over sideways when they skate away.

With 19-year-old Carter Yakemchuk — the Senators’ top prospect — seeing 3 or 4 Canadiens all giving MacEwen the business, he came in to try and even out the numbers. He pulled the younger Xhekaj out of the melee, and the Habs’ minor-league tough guy took that as a challenge to fight. hammering Yakemchuk with six fast, hard punches. Wailing on a team's top prospect will never be appreciated, but what I had a way bigger problem with was Xhekaj's move at the end of it.

He grabbed Yakemchuk by the front of his shoulders and pulled him backwards to throw him awkwardly and violently to the ice. Thankfully, Yakemchuk landed flat on his upper back, but watching the replay, if you told me he ended up with a right knee injury, a shoulder injury, a neck injury, or a concussion, I would believe you.

That's judo, pro wrestling or MMA. If I had to pick any incident that should have earned a suspension on Tuesday night, it was that one, even over the Hodgson hit.

Credit to Cozens, who tried to intervene but was restrained by one of the Canadiens.

4. Nick Cousins Slashes Ivan Demidov

The last incident I reviewed (there were others) came just over a minute after the Yakemchuk incident. Canadiens forward Nick Cousins decided to go after Ottawa’s top offensive prospect, Ivan Demidov. Cousins first lined him up for a long run along the boards, then chased him up ice and capped it with a slash to the wrist.

The NHL fined Cousins for the slash on Wednesday. It was unquestionably a dirty play. But in context, it was a direct response to the dirty play that had just happened to Yakemchuk.

Final Word

Tuesday night’s tilt in Quebec City was about emotion, payback, and grudges. With the Senators and Canadiens meeting again on Saturday, this time in Montreal, both teams would ideally like to get back to hockey and get ready for their season openers. But the way these two teams hate on each other, they may not be able to help themselves, so I feel like there's a good chance they take it into the gutter again. If they do, I guess Sportsnet will just have to bite the bullet and deal with the record ratings.

More Sens Headlines From The Hockey News Ottawa:
Senators Clobbered 5-0 By Montreal In Quebec City 'Home' Game
Eight Former Ottawa Senators Placed On Waivers This Week
Brady Tkachuk On Starring In Prime Video Show: 'I'm An Open Book To Begin With'
Broadcast Frustrations Resurface For Senators Fans
Ullmark Says He Enjoys The Struggle
Former Senator Josh Norris Embraces New Opportunity To Prove Himself