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While everyone and their mothers are talking about the upcoming draft and free agency, the Montreal Canadiens released their preseason schedule on Wednesday. This time, Martin St-Louis’ men will be playing six preseason games.

The first exhibition tilt will take place in Montreal on September 22, when the Habs will face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who could look much different come September. Kyle Dubas is set to embrace a rebuild and is actively shopping Erik Karlsson. Will he get the go-ahead to move more veterans who have no movement clauses? Time will tell.

The next day, the Tricolore will host Trevor Zegras and the Philadelphia Flyers before playing a home-and-away series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In case you’ve forgotten, it was in similar circumstances that Montreal lost both Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher to serious knee injuries last preseason. Chances are, the Canadiens will think twice before using members of the core until rosters have been trimmed down and AHL-dedicated tough guys have been weeded out.

The Tricolore will wrap up its preseason with a home-and-away series against the Ottawa Senators, with the away game set at the Centre Videotron in Quebec, where the Sens will be hosting. Just like the Canadiens, Ottawa qualified for the playoffs last season and will be looking to take another step forward this season. Thanks to acquiring Dylan Cozens at the deadline, the Sens now have a much deeper center line and have filled a need the Canadiens are still looking to plug.

When the puck drops on those preseason games, all eyes in Montreal will be fixed on Ivan Demidov as he sets out to embark on his rookie season. Having just witnessed Lane Hutson’s historic first year, the fans will likely have big expectations. Still, it would be worth remembering that the Russian winger only has limited experience in North American play and may need a bit of time to find his footing.

Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou finds himself right back in the rumor mill now that the off-season is here. This comes after the 27-year-old forward was discussed as a trade candidate leading up to this season's deadline. 

With Kyrou being an important part of the Blues' roster, there is certainly a clear argument to be had for keeping him around. However, his full no-trade clause kicks in on July 1 and lasts until the completion of the 2029-30 season. Thus, if the Blues want to move him, now would be the time. 

Kyrou is reportedly starting to generate some interest around the league, too. According to The Fourth Period, the New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Columbus Blue Jackets are four teams linked to the Blues star. 

The Islanders reportedly having their eye on Kyrou is not necessarily surprising, as they desperately need more scoring if they hope to be a more significant threat next season. The Sabres recently traded JJ Peterka, so they have a hole in their top six that Kyrou could fix. The Canadiens and Blue Jackets are also two young teams on the rise, so they would benefit big time by adding a player like Kyrou. 

It will be interesting to see what the Blues end up doing with Kyrou this off-season. With the Blues taking a step forward and getting back into the playoffs last year, it would be understandable if they kept him around. Yet, if they get offered a nice haul for him, it is fair to wonder if they would consider it. 

Ex-Blues Forward Expected To Re-Sign With Current TeamAccording to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, former St. Louis Blues forward Brandon Saad is expected to re-sign with the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Photo Credit:  © Terrence Lee-Imagn Images

One of the most underrated positions for the Ottawa Senators this fall will be the backup goalie role.

The number one job obviously belongs to Linus Ullmark, who's about to start a four-year deal worth $33 million with a cap hit of $8.2 million per season. The issue is that Ullmark, who turns 32 next month, has never played much more than half a season throughout his entire career.

In a league where the best goalies play upwards of 55-60 games, Ullmark's games played totals over the past 7 years have been 37, 34, 20, 41, 49, 40, and last season, 44. Sometimes it's due to a platoon situation like he had in Boston with Jeremy Swayman. But last year, it was injuries.

The point of it all is that Ullmark's backup stands to get as much work as any backup in the league next season. But who will it be?

The only other goalie under contract at the moment is Mads Søgaard, who played just 10 hockey games last season. Søgaard will be on a one-way deal, presumably because the club thought he'd be the one to replace Anton Forsberg, who becomes a UFA on Tuesday.

But then Leevi Meriläinen entered the chat.

With Søgaard hurt for much of the year, the Sens had to call on Meriläinen for 12 games, and he was sensational. His stats were considerably better than both Ullmark and Forsberg's.

But less than a week before free agency, Staios wouldn't announce anything official on Forsberg—or, for that matter, any of his three goalies. He was asked if Forsberg had officially declared to him that he's heading for the open market.

"I wouldn't speak on that," Staios said. "I mean, we've kept in touch with Anton. We've talked to all of our free agents, and I guess time will tell."

The follow-up was more direct. Would he like to bring Anton back?

"I've always said I enjoy Anton. I think he's a great pro. And a real good person."

Frankly, that sounds like the kind of thing you say to be nice when you're not that into someone.

So the assumption is that Forsberg will head to market on Tuesday, while Meriläinen is the goalie everyone thinks will get his job.

That would mean Søgaard will need to clear waivers so they can assign him to Belleville. At 6-foot-7, you can't teach big, as they say. So it's possible someone would put in a claim in the spirit of “you can never have too much goaltending.”

The Sens learned that lesson the hard way last year with all kinds of injuries to everyone. They had to lean on Meriläinen way earlier in his career than they ever thought they would, while the Belleville Senators were going out of their minds, trying to patch things up with replacements.

But while Søgaard's stock seems to have fallen, Staios quickly brought up his name while replying to a Merilainen question on Wednesday. The GM was asked by the affable Claire Hanna what his comfort level is with Meriläinen as his backup goalie, and Staios quickly shoehorned Søgaard into the dialogue, perhaps hinting that he's still in the mix.

"Well, we're comfortable with Leevi. You know, I think... and Mads as well. Like, Mads' injuries happened, and there are ups and downs to a player's career. So, we're comfortable with our goaltending depth, and we'll continue to look at other options as well."

In terms of other options in the organization, the Sens have the rights to Kevin Reidler (University of Nebraska Omaha) and Vladimir Nikitin (Nanaimo Clippers, BCHL).

Neither is an NHL option yet, and maybe not even AHL-ready. But time will tell.

Meanwhile, as good as Meriläinen was last season, is Staios's comfort level so high that he's ready to give him 30-40 NHL games next season? As a policy, does Staios think it's a best-in-class kind of move to hand his NHL backup role to a 22-year-old with all of 14 games of experience in the league? There's at least a chance the answer is no, and that Staios may, indeed, "look at other options," possibly one outside of the organization.

Meriläinen needs a qualifying offer by Saturday, and he'll get one, but it remains to be seen if the NHL backup role will truly be his this fall or not.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

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Should The Senators Have Surrendered This Year's First-Round Draft Pick Instead?
Senators Bring Back First-Rounder For Second Tour Of Duty
Rewriting The Draft: A Decade Of First-Round 'What-Ifs' for the Senators

The Pittsburgh Penguins currently hold the 11th and 12th overall picks of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. With this, they have the chance to land two very good prospects. That is, of course, if they elect to hold onto both of their picks. However, based on a recent report, this is not a guarantee.

According to TSN's Darren Dreger, the Penguins are open to moving the 11th or 12th pick of this year's draft "for the right young player." 

Several 1st round picks in play, especially with clubs with more than one. Pitt will move 11/12 for the right young player. Mtl would move 16/17. Habs need a top 6 F. Philly wants to keep 6, but will trade 22/31. Nashville has 5/23/26 and is still evaluating all options.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 26, 2025

Hearing that the Penguins are open to the idea of moving one of their first-round picks is not necessarily surprising. There are some intriguing young players who are in the rumor mill right now, with Minnesota Wild forward Marco Rossi and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram being two notable examples. 

With this year's draft being a bit of a wild card after the first few picks, now could be a smart time for the Penguins to deal one of their first-rounders for an impactful NHL player that would help them both now and in the long term.

Yet, while the Penguins are reportedly open to trading one of their first-rounders, there is also an argument to be had for them to keep them. The Penguins' prospect pool could use a boost, and they would give it just if they decided to keep both picks.

Nevertheless, it is going to be very interesting to see what the Penguins do with their first-rounders from here. 

Former Penguins Forward Traded To New TeamFormer Pittsburgh Penguins forward Frederick Gaudreau is on the move. 

Photo Credit: © Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images

While the main focus of NHL free agency is on the players signing contracts on the open market, there’s also added significance to July 1. 

That date is also the kickoff of the period in which NHLers entering the final season of multi-year contracts can sign an extension.

Who are the top players that can sign extensions as of July 1? Since the group of players here is rather deep, we’re breaking down the group into four different tiers of players. Let’s get right down to business.

Tier 1: The Superstars

Players: Connor McDavid (C, Edmonton), Kirill Kaprizov (LW, Minnesota), Jack Eichel (C, Vegas), Artemi Panarin (RW, NY Rangers), Kyle Connor (LW, Winnipeg)

The Breakdown: All five players on this list would be surprises if they failed to come to terms on an extension before the beginning of the season. 

Obviously, McDavid is the best player on the face of the earth, so he’ll be setting the bar for every elite player that signs after him. If anyone were to get a cap hit worth the maximum 20 percent of the cap for a player, it’d be McDavid. But that would severely hamstring the Oilers’ ability to surround him and fellow superstar Leon Draisaitl with top talent.

McDavid prioritized a long-term Cup-contending window and his family for his next deal, so Edmonton will have to prove it’s the place to stay.

Meanwhile, the Wild will have to give Kaprizov major money – likely at least $12 million, if not more – to prevent him from becoming a UFA at this time next year. It would also be shocking if Vegas didn’t re-sign Eichel and if Panarin left the Rangers. Connor may be the most intriguing case here, as the Jets have been able to get star players signed far below market value. But Winnipeg needs the 40 goals and 90 points Connor provides, so he may hold the hammer in contract negotiations. 

Tier 2: The Support Stars

Players: Adrian Kempe (C, Los Angeles), Jason Robertson (LW, Dallas), Martin Necas (RW, Colorado), Alex Tuch (RW, Buffalo)

The Breakdown: Don’t get it twisted – they aren’t superstars, but they’re integral to their team’s needs.

Kempe may get the biggest payday of the four, as the Kings aren’t flush with needle-moving forwards who can generate 35 to 40 goals and 75 points as Kempe can. That said, Kempe’s salary of $5.5 million probably won’t be doubled on his new deal.

The Stars, who aren’t teeming with cap space, may ultimately move Robertson rather than pay him big bucks after acquiring right winger Mikko Rantanen. Similarly, Necas and Tuch might be dealt by the Avs and Sabres, respectively. The cap ceiling surge will ensure everyone in this group is well paid but not so much that it hampers their team from filling out their needs elsewhere. 

Tier 3: The Young Stars

Players: Connor Bedard (C, Chicago) Lane Hutson (D, Montreal), Leo Carlsson (C, Anaheim), Adam Fantilli (C, Columbus), Logan Cooley (C, Utah), Logan Stankoven (C, Carolina), William Eklund (LW, San Jose)

The Breakdown: This tier is the most intriguing, as the seven youngsters here have the option of either accepting a bridge deal on their next contract or signing an extension for the full eight years allowable in the current collective bargaining agreement.

At a time when the cap ceiling will rise exponentially, bridge deals may be the best option for any players in this category. They all will be RFAs, so team control won’t be an issue.

But who knows – the comfort of knowing where they’ll be playing for close to the next decade may be most important to one or more of them. So we imagine the sooner someone signs, the likelier they’ve decided that long term is the way to go. The longer it takes them to get an extension, the more they may choose to be patient and sign a short-term deal.

How Will Bedard And Other Budding NHL Stars Navigate The Rocketing Salary Caps?The NHL's projected salary cap jumps could change how Connor Bedard and other young NHL stars look at their second contracts. Who will take the lead?

Tier 4: The Old Stars

Players: Alex Ovechkin (LW, Washington), Evgeni Malkin (C, Pittsburgh), Anze Kopitar (C, Los Angeles), John Carlson (D, Washington), Anders Lee (LW, NY Islanders) 

The Breakdown: None of the five players in this category needs to break the bank on what could be their final contract. And in Malkin’s case or Ovechkin’s case specifically, they may ultimately decide to retire. But if they do choose to extend their NHL career, it will be fascinating to see what type of arrangement they arrive at with their employer.

Do they take the route Boston Bruins veterans Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci went toward the end of their NHL careers and sign for far below market value to give their team a better chance at winning the Cup? Or do they play it as stone-cold businessmen and demand as much money as possible? Their decision will certainly affect the ability of their respective teams to contend for a championship beyond next season.

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According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, the Florida Panthers have acquired goaltender Daniil Tarasov from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a fifth-round pick. 

CBJ get a 5th RD pick in return for Tarasov https://t.co/Q7Q9miiZVj

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 26, 2025

Tarasov, 26, appeared in 20 games this season with the Blue Jackets, where he posted a 7-10-2 record, a .881 save percentage, and a 3.54 goals-against average. This was after he had a 8-11-3 record and a .908 save percentage in 24 games with Columbus in 2023-24.

With this move, Tarasov will likely serve as the Panthers' new backup goalie. In addition, this likely indicates that Panthers' pending unrestricted free agent goalie Vitek Vanecek will be hitting the market on July 1. 

Tarasov was selected by the Blue Jackets with the 86th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. In 65 career NHL games over four seasons, he has recorded a 19-34-6 record, a .898 save percentage, and a 3.44 goals-against average. 

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Photo Credit: © Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images