Category: Sports News

While the Chicago Blackhawks had a quieter off-season than they did last summer, they still brought in a few new players to their roster. Among their newcomers are forwards Andrei Burakovsky, Sam Lafferty, and Dominic Toninato.

Now, the Blackhawks have announced the numbers that their new additions will wear for the 2025-26 season.

Burakovsky wore No. 95 with both the Colorado Avalanche and Seattle Kraken, but that number is already taken by Blackhawks forward Ilya Mikheyev. As a result, Burakovsky will instead wear No. 28 with the Blackhawks. He will be the 19th player in Blackhawks history to sport No. 28, which was last worn by current Chicago forward Colton Dach. Dach will be switching to No. 34, which was also announced by the team.

Just like he did during his first stint with the Blackhawks, Lafferty will once again sport No. 24 with the Blackhawks. Since his time with the Blackhawks ended during the 2022-23 season, forward Anders Bjork and defenseman Jaycob Megna have worn No. 24 for Chicago. The Blackhawks have had 17 players in total sport No. 24 in their franchise history. 

As for Toninato, the Blackhawks have announced that he will wear No. 25 for them. This is a popular number in Blackhawks history, as he will now be the 22nd player to wear it for the Chicago. The last player to do so was defenseman Alec Martinez, who sported it during this past season.

new season, new numbers👏 pic.twitter.com/6zuXKMeZq2

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 24, 2025

Ex-Blackhawks Forward Among Veteran Free Agents LeftThe NHL free agent market is significantly smaller than it was when it opened on July 1. This is understandable, as teams often make their moves during the early part of the month when it comes to free agency.

Photo Credit:  © Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Editors note: This story contains mention of sexual assault. Readers discretion is advised.  

Cal Foote, who played for the Nashville Predators for 24 games during the 2022-23 season, was one of five former Canadian junior hockey players found not guilty on Thursday in a sexual assault case that occurred in 2018. 

Foote, alongside Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton and Dillon Dubé, were all accused of engaging in the sexual assault of a woman anonymously known as E.M. She claimed she had been sexually assaulted over several hours in a hotel room in London, Ontario, in June 2018. 

The players were in London to celebrate their Gold Medal victory at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, which was held earlier that year in Buffalo, New York. 

Ontario Supreme Court Justice Maria Carroccia said during the decision on Thursday that she did not find E.M.’s evidence “credible or reliable." 

More specific details to the case and the ruling can be found here:

All Five Former World Junior Players Found Not Guilty In Hockey Canada Sexual Assault TrialWarning: coverage of the Hockey Canada trial includes details of alleged sexual assault that may be disturbing to readers.

Foote was drafted 14th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017 and bounced between the NHL and AHL for six and a half seasons before he was traded midseason to Nashville. The Predators dealt forward Tanner Jeannot to Tampa for Foote and five future draft picks.

During his time with the Predators, he scored four points in 24 games. In the offseason, he signed as a free agent with the New Jersey Devils but spent the bulk of his time with the organization in Utica, playing for the AHL franchise. 

In January 2024, when the sexual assault allegations were made against Foote, the Devils granted Foote an "indefinite leave of absence from the team," but did not re-sign him. 

He has spent the last season with Liptovsky Mikulas HK in the Slovak Extraliga, the top professional hockey league in Slovakia. 

None of the accused players were active in the NHL last season. 

It seems like Pittsburgh Penguins' forwards Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust are the subject of Pittsburgh hockey news just about every other day at this point.

Most of the “news” - or think pieces - involve discourse on where either player could end up if traded, if both of them will be traded, and how the Penguins need to trade both of them in order to properly manage the rebuild that they’re attempting to execute.

But something that isn’t talked about nearly enough is the possibility of them staying.

What if one or both of them stick around? And would one or both of them sticking around thwart any successful attempt at a rebuild?

It’s certainly fair to conclude that one of the two should be dealt, along with veteran offensive blueliner Erik Karlsson. The Penguins are still in the business of collecting high-value assets, whether that means first-round picks or young NHL talent. And that doesn’t figure to change through the end of next season. 

But if one of them is kept, is it really going to set back the rebuild to any tangible degree?

Honestly? Probably not. 

It’s worth noting that the 2026 NHL draft class is, by all accounts, a pretty strong one. The obvious prize comes along with the lottery, as Gavin McKenna is waiting in the wings for one lucky - or unlucky, depending on how it’s looked at - team. As such, it stands to reason that first-round picks simply have higher value in the trade market right now than they have for the past several seasons - especially for fringe teams that may or may not want to take the next step and make the playoffs.

Because of this, it’s fair to wonder whether or not any of those “fringe” teams - such as the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, or Vancouver Canucks - would want to be in on someone like Rakell or Rust, both of whom Penguins’ GM and POHO Kyle Dubas is, likely, seeking a first-round pick for. 

NHL Insider Says Red Wings Leading Race to Land Penguins' RustInsider reports indicate the Red Wings being the top contender to land Penguins winger Bryan Rust.

And if a first-round pick is his demand, that is understandable, considering the seasons that Rakell and Rust had. Rakell, 32, put together the best season of his NHL career in 2024-25, amassing 35 goals and 70 points, while Rust, 33, did the same with 31 goals and 65 points. Any team looking to get over the hump, or any contending team looking to add one more reliable finisher in their top-six, would love to have either player for three more seasons at around $5 million.

If those fringe teams aren’t willing to give up that asset, it’s understandable that Dubas would wait around to see who is willing to pony up. And, that likely leaves the true contenders.

While Rakell or Rust going to a contending team certainly makes sense, it’s key to remember that the presumed first-round pick coming back would, more than likely, not be anywhere near the lottery. And is it worth it to surrender both Rakell and Rust for two late-first-round picks?

According to a recent article by Jacob Billington of The Hockey Writers, it’s clear to see the dropoff in talent after the top-10 selections in NHL drafts from 1963 to 2023. According to the data, for players drafted 10th overall, 75.4 percent play more than 100 NHL games.

Beyond that? Much of the remaining first round is a total crapshoot, especially in the teens. For reference, 45 percent of players drafted at 11th overall - which is where the Penguins selected Ben Kindel in 2025 - end up playing more than 500 NHL games. While that exceeds the 36 percent for the same number of games at 10th overall, only 65 percent play more than 100 NHL games. 

Then, beyond 20, both numbers steadily drop, with 56.3 percent making it past 100 games and 25.8 percent hitting 500 games.

The point here is that - despite the respective ages of Rakell and Rust - they do have three years left on their current deals, and they both can put the puck in the net alongside Sidney Crosby. The chances of the Penguins getting a late-round franchise player - or, even, a very good complementary player - for both of them in a trade is low enough that it may not be worth giving both of them up.

Besides, there has to be a reason Dubas is hesitant to deal both that goes beyond nostalgia. The easiest and most logical explanation is that he’s letting the market play up for both of them only to pounce at its highest-value moment, which makes sense. 

Report: Price For Penguins' Top Winger 'Especially High'With few intriguing forward pieces remaining on the free agent market, many teams are turning to the RFA market and the trade market to upgrade their top-six.

But it cannot be understated how much these players mean to the Penguins and how much they mean to the young players in the room that they’re trying very hard to develop, especially Rust. Dubas has also reiterated the desire to get the Penguins back to contention “as urgently as possible,” and it’s very plausible that he sees a potential overlap in the team’s window of contention before both contracts expire. 

Look at it this way: Yes, he can net higher-value draft picks for Rakell and Rust. But the Penguins don’t necessarily need more than one in return, considering the fact that they own all of their first-round picks for the coming drafts. The Washington Capitals, for example - who had a top-notch 2024-25 campaign and seem to have successfully executed a rebuild on-the-fly - have managed to hit on their scouting and draft picks while only drafting once in the top-10 over the past decade and not having more than one first-round pick since 2012, when they selected now-veterans Filip Forsberg (11th overall) and Tom Wilson (16th overall). 

Like Ovechkin's Capitals, Penguins Owe It To Crosby To Right The ShipOn Sunday, the hockey world got to witness Alexander Ovechkin - The Great “8” - surpass The Great “One” for the most goals in NHL history.

They were also successful in identifying veterans on their roster who were worth keeping around for their retool in Wilson, John Carlson, and Nic Dowd. Washington didn’t rid of every veteran with trade value on their roster for a reason - and that was because they understood that their value to the team’s ultimate goal of competing “as urgently as possible” exceeded the value they’d net in return.

So, say one of Rakell and Rust is traded. Dubas would, hypothetically, have two first-round picks next season - one of which may very well be a lottery selection - and he already has NHL-ready talent knocking at the door and vying for spots on the NHL roster.

If any of the Penguins’ three first-round picks from the 2025 draft crack the NHL roster within two years - Kindle, for example - plus that 2026 lottery pick, plus good complementary players like Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, Owen Pickering, Harrison Brunicke, and Tristan Broz, doesn’t having one of either Rust or Rakell around in addition to that significantly increase their chances of contending sooner?

Penguins' Roster Breakdown: Which Young Players Have Realistic Hopes Of Cracking NHL Roster Next Season?The Pittsburgh Penguins are heading into the 2025-26 season with full intentions of having a youth movement on their NHL roster.

It’s better to have all of the aforementioned guys PLUS a Rust or a Rakell for another year or two, in addition to Crosby. All of a sudden, the lineup is guaranteed deeper in 2026-27 and 2027-28. The Penguins would still have a lot of high-value picks to build out their organization from the draft, and some of those players may - or may not - make a sooner-than-expected impact.

Simply put, there is an avenue to contention with one of those guys still on the roster, and not dealing one of them is not a colossal failure for that reason. Of course, if the Penguins get a good, young player in return for each of them - preferably some higher-ceiling help on the blue line - maybe the tune is different. And, if the Penguins are still bottom-feeders in 2026-27, they should still be able to net decent value in a later trade for whichever of the two they decide to stick with. 

But if this is mostly about first-round draft capital? It’s probably worth eating that potential asset and keeping one of them around through the final year or two of their current deal to help bridge the Penguins into a new window of contention. Successful rebuilds, realistically, don't hinge on one singular move - or lack of a move - to define that success.

Regardless of what happens with Rakell and Rust - if you’re putting all the pieces of the puzzle together - contention may not be as far off as many seem to think if Dubas and the Penguins can successfully execute this phase of the rebuild in nearly every other facet.

Dubas May Have Sought Quantity In This Year's Draft. But That Doesn't Mean He Missed On Quality.In the aftermath of every NHL Draft, the analysis always comes due.

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Feature Image Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Sabres acquisition of defenseman Conor Timmins from the Pittsburgh Penguins on NHL Draft weekend was due in part to the 26-year-old’s price point being less than Connor Clifton’s $3.33 million salary, but at the time of the trade, the Sabres did not know for certain what the righty defenseman would cost for next season.

The St. Catharines, ON native is an arbitration-eligible RFA and one year away from unrestricted free agency and according to a report from Puckpedia, Timmins hearing date will be on Saturday, August 2nd. The Sabres and agent Paul Capizzano are likely negotiating on a deal beforehand, but have less than two weeks before going into what usually is an adversarial process.  

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The club’s pairings to start the season are expected to be team captain Rasmus Dahlin playing with recently signed Bowen Byram, Owen Power playing with newly acquired righty Michael Kesselring, and Timmins playing with Mattias Samuelsson. The Sabres are currently fifth in the NHL at 34.6% of the cap allocated towards their blueline behind Washington, Vegas, Edmonton, and Columbus, and would have been near the top of the league had they kept Clifton,  who was slated to earn $3.33 million next season.

Timmins is coming off a 15-point season with Toronto and the Penguins, and it is expected that he will get a slight raise from his $1.1 million salary last season with the cap going up. That price point fits better with Timmins expected role as a bottom-pairing defender over Clifton.

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo 

Former Ottawa Senators winger Alex Formenton has been found not guilty of sexual assault.

The 26-year-old was one of five players on Canada's 2018 World Junior Hockey team charged with sexually assaulting a woman in a London, Ontario hotel room in June of that year. The players had gathered in London for a Hockey Canada gala and golf event to celebrate the team's gold medal victory five months earlier.

All of the other players involved in the case, Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Dillon Dubé, and Cal Foote were also acquitted on all charges. 

In front of a packed courtroom, Justice Maria Carroccia delivered her decision on Thursday and ruled that the testimony from the complainant, referred to throughout the case as E.M., was "not credible or reliable." The judge also said, "In this case, I have found actual consent, not vitiated by fear," and that the Crown did not prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

This was a trial that took eight weeks, but the investigation, the scandal over how it was handled, and the intense national media coverage has gone on for several years. The trial sparked further dialogue on the issue of consent, which was at the heart of this case, and a Canadian junior hockey culture that's often been described as entitled and toxic.

The not-guilty verdict means the players are all free to go and move on with their lives. The Crown does have the option to appeal and has 30 days to decide whether or not to do that.

In Formenton's case, according to court documents obtained by the CBC, he has "moved on from a hockey career" and now works full-time in construction.

Formenton was Ottawa's second-round draft pick in 2017 and played 109 games for the club. When he became an RFA in 2022, that was right around the time that the news emerged about this case.

He was an emerging NHL player at the time, completing his first full season as a Senator and scoring 18 goals and 32 points. He was also probably the fastest skater in club history. So when the Sens didn't re-sign him, it certainly wasn't a decision made for hockey reasons.

Instead, Formenton agreed to a $125,000 contract with Ambri-Piotta, a pro hockey team in Switzerland, where he played parts of two seasons until he returned home to stand trial. His NHL playing rights still belong to Ottawa.

Last year, according to TSN, Formenton filed a $20.5 million lawsuit against Newport Sports Management and Wade Arnott, his former agent, alleging negligence, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
Image Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

This story originally appearedat The Hockey News-Ottawa

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Senators Re-Sign 2021 First-Round Pick To One-Year Deal
An Early Glance At The Senators’ 2026 Free Agent Class
Why Mason McTavish Isn’t Coming Home To The Senators

In the whirlwind that has been the last two weeks, one signing slipped past me: the contract former Montreal Canadiens draft pick and player Jordan Harris signed with the Boston Bruins for a one-year deal.

Harris was a third-round pick at the 2018 draft and had Habs fans worried when he decided to play his fourth and final year of eligibility in the NCAA with Northeastern University. Some feared the Haverhill, MA native would just wait to become a free agent and sign with his local team, the Bruins.

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Harris was a first-team all-star in the Hockey East division, Northeastern’s captain, and the player who won them the Beanpot tournament in 2020 with a double overtime goal. He grew up just 36 miles north of Boston and had never left the area to play hockey, but he ultimately joined the Canadiens and signed an ELC contract at the end of the 2021-22 season, playing 10 NHL games.

He played the last year of his ELC before signing a two-year contract extension with a $1.4 M AAV with the Canadiens and skated in 56 games with the Habs in the first year of that contract, putting up 14 points.

In June 2024, he was named Sports Personality of the Year by the Cummings Center Foundation for his involvement in the community and for being a trailblazer in the NHL. At the time, he was the only Black Jewish player in the NHL.

Less than two months later, however, he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in return for Patrik Laine and a 2026 second-round pick. He joined the Jackets just days before the team was hit by an incredible tragedy when an alleged drunk driver killed star player and leader Johnny Gaudreau and his brother.

It was a tough season for the Jackets, but they still came painfully close to qualifying for the playoffs, only being eliminated when the Canadiens won their last game of the year. Still, even though Columbus struggled, Harris couldn’t establish himself as a regular in the lineup.

In the end, he only played 33 games with the Ohio outfit, scoring five points and finishing the year with a minus-one rating. At the end of the season, the Jackets decided not to extend a qualifying offer, and he became an unrestricted free agent.

Boston signed him on July 1 to a one-year contract with a $825,000 AAV, bringing him back home. Should he manage to get a regular spot in the lineup this season, he’ll take on his former Canadiens teammates four times.

Photo credit:  Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Blues defenseman Matthew Kessel is off the board.

Not that the 25-year-old was ever on the board, but he made it official recently on his Instagram account that he's engaged to be married to girlfriend Allie.

Kessel, a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, played in 29 games for the Blues last season and had three assists; he has 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 70 games spanning three seasons in the NHL.

Do you think Kessel can earn more playing time in St. Louis soon or will it be hard for him to grab much more playing time with the ascension of Tyler Tucker and acquisition of Logan Mallioux from the Montreal Canadiens? Share your vote in the poll above.