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Based on the first two days of training camp, it appears as if Adam Fox will be paired alongside Vladislav Gavrikov. 

The New York Rangers invested a lot of money to stabilize the defense this summer, as they signed Gavrikov to a seven-year, $49 million contract. 

The idea in signing Gavrikov was not only to help sure up the defense as a whole, but also to help reignite Fox’s game. 

After years of playing with Ryan Lindgren, Fox had multiple defensive partners last season, which seemed to negatively impact his level of play. 

Gavrikov provides a steady and reliable presence for Fox, who is excited about the opportunity to potentially create a strong partnership on the ice with Gavrikov.

"He's an elite defenseman, and I think everyone wants to play with a guy like that,” Fox said of Gavrikov. “He’s pretty similar to what I’m used to, playing with someone who is super reliable. You know what you’re getting when he’s out there and he’s a smart player too. I’m sure that chemistry will come a little bit more. It has been good being able to skate with him a little bit.”

A critical part of Fox’s game is his ability to create offense, but he wasn’t able to do that as effectively last year with a large defensive burden placed on his shoulders. 

The hope is that Fox will be able to unlock that part of his game with Gavrikov by his side. 

“Foxy is a great player, a great play-maker,” Gavrikov said. “Can do anything with the puck, skating very well as well. If I’m going to be with him, I’ll be happy to have him as a partner. I think we can create some offense on the other side, and play good defense.”

Mike Sullivan's Presence And Voice Felt Profoundly Through Rangers' First Day Of Training Camp You hear a lot about the coaching bump in the NHL, and it appears the New York Rangers may be in the midst of that with Mike Sullivan. 

Fox and Gavrikov are clearly the Rangers’ two top defensemen currently on the roster, so there’s an argument to be made that they should be separated in order to create a balanced D-core.

However, Sullivan hinted that it may be the best course of action to have these two blueliners play together. 

Sullivan has been emphatic about the fact that Fox remains one of the premier defensemen in the NHL, and he wants to do everything he can to unlock his full potential. 

“How do we find a way to help Fox capture his very best game? I know we have the conversation, do we have the ideal partner for him? Because if we could find an ideal partner for him, where he could build and develop chemistry, that would suggest that it would set him up for success,” Sullivan said. 

Nothing is set in stone yet, but all signs are pointing toward Fox and Gavrikov playing together, which could make for a lethal defensive duo.

Florida Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky has played plenty of hockey throughout his career, but the past three seasons of dominance are more than any other netminder in the NHL.

The 36-year-old has played in 162 regular-season games in the past three seasons and 66 post-season games. Not only has he just played in those games, but he's also excelled and could be considered the most important player on the Panthers' roster.

With the success comes the worry that fatigue could catch up to him, but Bobrovsky says otherwise.

"I had a good summer. I was focused on the mental side of it," said Bobrovsky. "My goal was to clean everything up, you know, to clear everything up and get ready for the season, and especially mentally, to be excited, to be fresh and not thinking much about hockey. I thought I did a good job with it. I felt like the summer was so long for me, and I'm so excited to be back. I'm so excited to see everybody, the guys, the coaches. I'm so excited to be here in this facility, locker room, everything. I'm hungry and happy and appreciative for the situation that’s in front of us."

Losing Spencer Knight for almost all of the previous two seasons forced Bobrovsky to dress in more games than the Panthers would have likely wanted to. The addition of Daniil Tarasov should give the Russian netminder more opportunities to rest.  

“It is a huge honor, and a huge opportunity,’’ said Tarasov. “I was super-excited when I was traded, got the call from Bill and especially from ‘The Bob.’ It was a huge welcome, they said it was great to see me here as a Panther.”

The Panthers' confidence to beat any team they are matched up against is sky high, but avoiding external factors like injuries and fatigue can be unavoidable. Adequate rest and a rotation with plenty of depth, the Panthers possess, could help avoid those lingering issues that tend to affect teams come playoff time. 

Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky Ranks Fourth In NHL Network's Top 10 Goaltenders RankingsFlorida Panthers Sergei Bobrovsky landed at No.4 on the NHL Network's top 10 goaltenders list heading into the 2025-26 season.

The hockey world lost a legend earlier this month, as Montreal Canadiens legend Ken Dryden sadly passed away on Sep. 5 at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer. 

Dryden, of course, put together a Hall of Fame career with the Canadiens. During his eight-year NHL career with the Habs, he recorded a 258-57-74 record, a .922 save percentage, a 2.30 goals-against average, and 46 shutouts. Due to his incredible play, he won the Vezina Trophy five times and the Stanley Cup six times during his time with the Habs. He was also a Conn Smythe Trophy winner (1971), Calder Memorial Trophy winner (1972), and a five-time All-Star. 

Now, the Canadiens have rightfully paid homage to Dryden in a classy way. The Canadiens players currently have a number and mask decal on the back of their helmets to pay respect to Dryden.

29 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/kdNjNCj7G5

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) September 18, 2025

This is a nice gesture by the Canadiens, and it is certainly warranted for a legend like Dryden. He is one of the greatest Canadiens of all-time. 

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It's been a long, long time since the Detroit Red Wings have made the playoffs – too long, if you're a Hockeytown resident who grew up with Stanley Cup parades and division titles.

While the Wings have come close a number of times in recent years, they haven't quite sealed the deal. 

With NHL training camps open, hope springs eternal, and the Motor City is not immune. Last year, GM Steve Yzerman dismissed coach Derek Lalonde after a 13-17-4 start, replacing him with veteran bench boss Todd McLellan. Detroit went 26-18-4 the rest of the way, which, hypothetically, means they could have been a playoff team had they played at that pace all year. Coming into this season, Detroit's stars are excited about what a full year of McLellan could mean for their fortunes.

"I played a lot better under him when we made the switch," said future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane. "The team started playing more aggressive and playing better. As you get older you want to win, and I think we can do that there. That's the goal, to get into the playoffs. We really feel we're on the verge, and we should do it this year."

The Detroit job brings McLellan's NHL journey full circle. His first gig in the league was as an assistant coach with the Red Wings, where he won a Stanley Cup under Mike Babcock. After that, he got the head coaching job in San Jose, where he guided the Sharks to back-to-back conference finals. Most recently, he was in Los Angeles, where his Kings ran into Connor McDavid and the Oilers twice in a row (before that, he coached McDavid himself in Edmonton).

And while he hasn't even been in Detroit for a whole season yet, the Red Wings have faith in McLellan.

"Todd really preaches details a lot," said right winger Alex DeBrincat. "You can make mistakes, but if you work hard, you're gonna be on his good side. He wants 100 percent out of everyone at all times. He'll hold you accountable for mistakes, so don't do it again."

Explaining the methods behind certain strategies is also a strength, DeBrincat noted.

"Some guys don't like dumping the puck in, but if a certain play calls for it, he's going to tell you what happens next that can really improve the team game," he said. "He thinks the game really well, which is fun to be a part of. You're not just skating around and getting nothing accomplished. He's got a plan for you."

With the likes of Kane, DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin up front, the Wings have weapons. Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson continue to grow on the blueline, while veteran John Gibson arrives from Anaheim with a ton of experience and a chip on his shoulder to prove he can still be a top-flight NHL netminder. The Wings play in the toughest division in hockey, and even a wild-card spot in the East will take a strong effort, but it's not outside the realm of possibility – the drought could certainly end this season.

"We feel good," DeBrincat said. "We made a couple moves this summer that should help us out, and overall, we've been doing this, at least in my time, two years in a row and a year prior to that where we just missed, so it's time for us to step up."

Red Wings fans could not agree more.

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Feb 3, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) clears the puck against the Ottawa Senators during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

With all the disappointments of the 2024-25 season, the Nashville Predators were in need of some good news as they opened training camp and began turning the page to 2025-26.

It came in the form of a positive report on team captain Roman Josi, who was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) last season.

The fact that the 35-year-old left-shot defenseman was present for the Preds’ first practice on Thursday was a plus in and of itself. During his media availability, Josi’s update on his health gave the team and its fans cause for optimism.

“I feel good,” Josi told reporters after Thursday's practice. “I’ve been skating for a while now. Even after the season, I started skating pretty soon, and even before camp practicing in full. (Thursday’s practice) was good. It was hard, but it was a good day.”

Josi suffered a concussion during a Feb. 25 game against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers Feb. 25 and missed the final 25 games of the season. As his recovery dragged on, he knew something wasn’t right and began looking into it.

“It just got to a point where it got worse and worse,” he explained. “That’s where I figured it out and… this was a really good thing for me to get some clarity. I think as a player, you start self diagnosing a lot. Having some clarity and having a plan going forward is huge to me.”

POTS is a condition that causes the heart to beat faster than normal when transitioning from sitting or lying down to standing up. Olympic gold medal swimmer Katie Ledecky also was also diagnosed with POTS, but continues to compete.

Josi had been dealing with POTS symptoms even before his injury including headaches, elevated heart rate and dizziness. Once doctors discovered his condition, he began formulating a plan. He changed his diet and is making an effort to get more sleep.

Josi recorded 38 points (9-29-38) in 53 games for the Predators last season. While there were many things that went wrong for the team, losing their captain for that long stretch was like the final nail in the coffin.

“He’s our captain, our best player,” Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said Thursday. “Missing him for a substantial amount of time last year obviously isn’t a good thing. So, it’s great to see him healthy, number one; forget about the hockey part. I think he battled through that last year. I think he hung in there. Obviously, he’s got a lot of pride in this organization, he didn’t want to let (his teammates) down.”

Now that he has medication and other tools to help manage his condition, Josi is confident he can return to form this season.

“There’s some triggers, some times where I might feel symptoms a little bit,” Josi said. “Having the tools to manage it a lot better now is huge for me, and it makes a world of difference. I’m definitely back to 100 percent and feeling really good on the ice.”

Of course, one training camp practice is too small a sample size to determine what Josi’s role will be moving forward. Will he have to manage his workload and get less ice time than the approximate 25 minutes a night he’s been used to getting in previous years? Can he come anywhere close to the 85-point production of the 2023-24 season?

It seems unrealistic to think Josi can play an 82-game schedule like he did that season; in fact, it’s highly unlikely. Training camp will go a long way toward answering the many questions that remain. But having him back for any length of time will be a boost for the Predators.

“To see him back on the ice, for me, and I think for every Nashville Predator fan or anybody in the organization is a big deal," Brunette said.

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The San Jose Sharks hosted their opening day of training camp on Thursday morning.

The Teal group, featuring players like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Nick Leddy, and John Klingberg, to name a few, started things off with their practice. Notably, Cam Lund was originally slated to skate with the Teal group but did not take the ice. Carson Wetsch and Oliver Wahlstrom took the ice instead, after not being listed. While there were a couple of interesting moments, the highlight was certainly when Celebrini pulled out an ankle-breaker on Leddy.

During the post-scrimmage media availability, Smith noted that although he was previously expected to spend a considerable amount of time playing center this season, he’s expecting to mostly play on the wing. He added, “I also worked on draws over the summer a lot. [I] got some tips from a lot of really good centers in the NHL, so if I need to take a faceoff at the end of a game, or at any point, I can do it.

Smith also spoke about not being invited to USA Hockey’s Olympic Orientation Camp, stating: “[It] definitely fuels the fire. I think every guy wants to be on that team, and I love playing for my country.” He went on to add, “I’m not going to worry about it too much. America’s got a bunch of amazing players, as everyone knows.”

Leddy then spoke about his feelings about joining the Sharks after previously playing with the Blues, “There’s a lot of excitement. You look at this roster up and down, there’s a lot of skill, a lot of speed, good goaltending, so there’s a lot of excitement ahead.” He opted to keep what type of injury held him to just 31 games last season private, but did note, “I feel good. [I’m] very excited to have another chance to prove myself.”

Leddy also spoke highly of Celebrini, “I don’t know if you saw, but he danced me and I fell,” he started with a chuckle. He continued, “It goes back to his work ethic. He’s one of the first guys out there and one of the last guys off. That’s a sign of a true leader. I’ve seen many captains do that throughout the years.”

From there, the first scrimmage of training camp was held at TechCU Arena, with the aforementioned Teal group taking on the Black group, which included the likes of Mario Ferraro, Yaroslav Askarov, and the second-overall pick from this summer’s draft, Michael Misa.

In the two-period scrimmage, the first period was a goaltending duel as both Alex Nedeljkovic and Yaroslav Askarov were able to keep the puck out of the net. Scoring opened in the second period, when Mario Ferraro made a smart pinching play from the blue line, and after a couple of attempts, he was able to beat Teal’s goaltender, Joshua Ravensbergen. Lucas Vanroboys scored Black’s second goal, and an empty-net goal sealed Teal’s fate as the Black group won 3-0.

The Black group then took the ice at the Sharks Rink for their practice. Tyler Toffoli spoke with the media and was quickly asked about the possibility of assuming the captaincy this season. He replied, “If something like that were to happen, then obviously it'd be an incredible honor. But at the same time, with the guys that came in, there are a lot of guys that are capable of doing that. I think we have a general group of captains within our organization and our team in the locker room that all step up.”

Toffoli also noted a key similarity between Misa and Celebrini: “[Misa] always wants the puck. When you have a kid who's 18 years old and demanding the puck in the middle of the ice, that goes a long way. You look at Macklin, and he's the exact same way. Different players, obviously, but both demand the puck and want the puck. I think that alone is a really good sign for a bright career.”

William Eklund noted that he has fully recovered from his wrist injury ahead of the World Championships. He was also complimentary of Sharks forward prospect Igor Chernyshov, “Really good player. You know, he’s very strong on the puck.”

The biggest news coming out of Ferraro’s availability was undoubtedly regarding his current contract status. He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and, as of now, there have been no contract extension discussions between him and the Sharks.

Macklin Celebrini was also requested by the media, but was unavailable due to illness. 

Over the course of all the media availabilities, one thing stood above the rest. The Sharks are tired of losing, and they feel ready to take the next step, which, as Toffoli put it, is simple: “Not finish last.”

21 Days Until Opening Day: The Sharks' History of Number 21The San Jose Sharks' season is just around the corner. NHL training camps opened yesterday and today, players returned to the ice for the start of on-ice activities. That brings us to just 21 days away from the official kickoff of the 2025-26 season against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 9 at 10 p.m. Sharks Announce 2025 Training Camp RosterLess than 24 hours before the San Jose Sharks start training camp, they’ve officially released their training camp roster. Sharks Sign Former Islanders Forward To PTO & AHL DealThe San Jose Sharks have announced that they’ve signed former New York Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom to a professional tryout (PTO) and an AHL contract.

On Thursday, GM Jason Botterill spoke to the media about the competition in training camp and the feel around the team, touching upon the idea of the Seattle Kraken carrying three goaltenders throughout the regular season. 

Due to the Olympic break, the NHL season will feature a more condensed schedule. Because of this, teams will need to rethink how they deploy players and goaltenders.

For the Kraken, the current concern is keeping their netminders, Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer, fresh, and one way is by keeping veteran goaltender Matt Murray on the NHL roster. 

"They're certainly going to be competing. We are ecstatic that Joey (Daccord) got the opportunity to be at the USA orientation camp; he certainly deserved that opportunity," said Botterill. "Joey's done a great job the last couple of years developing into a No.1 goalie in the National Hockey League, and it's great to see a goalie that was playing games for us in the Calder Cup Final to being in the mix to make a U.S. Olympic team."

Currently, Daccord is the proven and most deserving of the No.1 role. The 29-year-old has started over 50 games in the previous two seasons, recording a .906 save percentage and a 2.75 goals against average in 2024-25.

"Different positions, forwards, d-men, adding depth in those roles, competition in those roles and we've certainly done that in the goaltender position too. We are going to need the three of them throughout the year. We are ecstatic about Kokko and Ostman as young goalies developing in our system, but you don't want to throw them in NHL games until they are ready... We have ideas on playing three goalies, and we also have ideas if injuries occur, and we have to make an adjustment from that standpoint."

Daccord's role is seemingly set in stone, but as Grubauer has continued to struggle during his Kraken career, Murray comes with the opportunity to re-earn an NHL role. 

"I think there is a competition there for sure," Botterill said when asked if Murray could win a role over Grubauer. "I think there is different scenarios where we looked at being able to carry three goalies. How condensed some of the games are, I think you are going to need three goalies this season. "

Competition in training camp is a positive thing. As long as it's healthy competition, the players will push one another to be better, and that's exactly what Botterill and coach Lane Lambert are hoping for.

Former St. Louis Blues defenseman Ryan Suter is still without a contract, but the longtime NHLer isn't forcing a deal.

According to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, Suter is still open to playing in the NHL, but isn't chasing opportunities; he's waiting for a team to come to him. 

Now 40 years old, Suter is as proven as they come, and if a team needs a veteran defenseman with 1526 games of NHL experience, he'll answer the call. 

"The 40-year-old defenseman instructed his longtime agent, Neil Sheehy, not to be proactive in calling teams. Suter didn’t want to force it, Sheehy said Thursday. If a team called with interest, so be it; they would listen. But they weren’t going to chase it," said LeBrun in his NHL rumblings story. After 20 NHL seasons, Sheehy said Suter is at peace with whatever comes. Perhaps a contender calls in the coming weeks, or maybe that’s it after an amazing career. The former Team USA Olympian played for the minimum $775,000 with the St. Louis Blues last season after three previous seasons with the Dallas Stars. But Suter has not retired just yet."

Suter has had an illustrious career, skating with the Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars and the Blues in his most recent stop. In what could be his final season and his lone season with the Blues, Suter notched two goals and 15 points, playing in all 82 games. 

The former seventh overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft never won a Stanley Cup. Still, he did bring home an Olympic silver medal, gold at the World Junior Championship and the U-18s as well as a second-place finish in Norris Trophy voting in 2012-13.  

Suter's future is uncertain at the moment, but one of the most reliable players in the NHL has ever seen hasn't closed the door on the NHL quite yet.