Ahead of the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, the Chicago Blackhawks traded Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers. The decision to move on from him was not an easy one for the organization, but one they felt was necessary at the time.

Chicago ended up finishing with the third-worst record, and the lottery balls fell their way. The Blackhawks won the first overall pick, which gave them the privilege to select Connor Bedard. 

It wasn't wise not to even consider bringing Kane back once they secured Bedard. He, along with Jonathan Toews, who they also forced out, would have been the perfect mentors for their young superstar prospect. Instead, Toews took two years off, and Kane moved on to the Detroit Red Wings. 

Kane’s impact on Bedard would have helped him both on and off the ice. In terms of hockey, Kane is one of the most productive offensive wingers of all time. Having him on the top line with Bedard from the jump would have helped the kid’s production, which would have allowed him to reach a premier confidence level early. 

Off the ice, Kane is obsessed with winning and making himself better. He is still productive in his late 30s, and that is a result of his dedication. With Kane to look up to, it may not have taken almost three years for Bedard to take action on his skating/speed issues. He likely would have been more motivated to improve with each passing day if he had the opportunity to watch Kane up close. 

Instead of letting their generational stars lead the way, Chicago opted to bring in guys like Corey Perry, Nick Foligno, Taylor Hall, and Patrick Maroon, among others, to be leaders. Those are all great players, but none of them have the impact that a guy like Kane (or Toews) has. 

Bedard came into the league and was already so much better than everyone else on his team. If Kane were there, that would not have been the case.

Kane is signed to another one-year deal with Detroit, so in theory, he can come back one day. However, based on Kyle Davidson’s previous comments, it doesn’t sound likely ever to happen. Instead, Bedard will have to keep learning what it takes to be a star from scratch, although the Blackhawks could have had an elite example already waiting for him. 

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Eleven players chose to sign for arbitration this offseason. Of those, only six remained unsigned by the time the hearings were scheduled: Arvid Soderblom (July 28), Maksim Tsyplakov (July 29), Dylan Samberg (July 30), Conor Timmins (August 2), Nicholas Robertson (August 3), and Montreal Canadiens’ defenseman Jayden Struble, whose case is scheduled for August 3.

As for Kaapo Kakko, he avoided arbitration by agreeing to terms with the Seattle Kraken. The three-year deal has an AAV of $4.525. Just like filing for arbitration doesn’t put a halt to negotiation, getting a hearing date doesn’t either, so the Canadiens and Struble can still avoid the unpleasant experience if they reach an agreement before the hearing commences.

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These things can take time. When the Habs struggled to sign former blueliner P.K. Subban in 2014, both parties were already in Toronto and they completed the hearing process before a deal was reached ahead of the arbitrator delivering his ruling.

When Subban came out of the hearing, he stated that it had been “an educational process” for him, while then GM Marc Bergevin simply stated that he had nothing to say. It’s hardly surprising to hear that kind of comment from a player who comes out of a hearing in which the team tried its best to demonstrate why he’s not worth the money he’s asking.

Essentially, the hearings consist of the team stating and demonstrating the player’s shortcomings. Since hockey is a big business, you can be sure that teams leave no stone unturned. They hire litigation lawyers and tell them what kind of award they would be satisfied with, and the firm puts together a file that includes every single stat that is favourable to the team’s position. The lawyers are thorough.

Having worked on such files in the past, I can tell you it’s like getting an appraisal from your boss and just being told what you do poorly. There’s nothing positive there, which means it’s a lot to process and can sour the relationship between the team and the player.

In the end, the Canadiens and Subban reached a deal before the arbitrator decided on an award, but the damage had been done. Still, the rearguard went away with an eight-year deal with a $9M AAV, but it was the beginning of the end for him in Montreal.

The contract included a no-trade clause that was set to take effect on July 1, 2016. Still, it never materialized, as the Canadiens traded him to the Nashville Predators in return for the Predators' captain, Shea Weber, on June 29, 2016, in the nick of time, as they say.

A few things have changed since then, though. The 2020 Memorandum of Understanding states that a contract can only be agreed on until the hearing starts. Once it kicks off, negotiations are over and the parties will have to live with the arbitrator’s decision.

Since Struble decided to go to arbitration, it will be up to the Canadiens to determine if they want a one-year deal or a two-year one. So far, Kent Hughes has generally opted for a two-year pact with young defenders coming off their ELC deal.

Last offseason, the Canadiens’ GM put pen to paper with Arber Xhekaj on a two-year pact with a $1.3 M AAV and signed Justin Barron to a two-year agreement with a $1.15 M AAV. The year before, he had signed Jordan Harris to a two-year contract with a $1.4 M AAV. Both Harris and Barron were traded before the end of their second contracts, and the fact that they were signed to reasonable deals made them easier to trade, thereby giving them more market value.

The one exception when it comes to defensemen contracts has been Kaiden Guhle, whose services were retained by the Canadiens for six years coming off his ELC, becoming the first blueliner to be identified as a core piece for Montreal. As for newly acquired Noah Dobson, he was given an eight-year deal by the New York Islanders under the Habs’ instructions, but that was his third contract; he was coming off a three-year deal with a $4M AAV.

Chances are Lane Hutson will also be part of the exceptions, and while he is eligible to sign an extension, his contract is good until the end of the upcoming season, and there’s therefore no rush. However, Hughes will no doubt want to sign him before the next CBA comes into force on September 16, 2026. Why? Because then the maximum term a player can be extended to by his team will become seven years instead of eight, and there will be restrictions on the amount of bonuses that can be included as part of the deal.

For now, the amount Struble is asking for and the amount the Canadiens are offering are unknown, but they will be made public if the matter reaches arbitration. I struggle to see how this move makes sense for Struble, since he hasn’t got much leverage. He’s only played 56 games per season in the NHL so far, and that was mainly thanks to other defensemen being injured. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good defenseman, but he’s yet to establish himself as a regular. Even with the salary cap going up, I find it hard to believe that he could receive more than what Xhekaj was signed for. Hopefully, a deal will be reached before the hearing begins.

Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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During the 2023-24 season, Chicago Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson thrived. In 82 games, he set new career highs with 22 goals and 35 points in 82 games. This was after he scored nine goals and set a previous career-high with 30 points in 78 games with Chicago in 2022-23. 

Due to how well he immediately fit into the Blackhawks' system, Dickinson earned a two-year, $8.5 million contract extension with the Blackhawks in January of the 2023-24 campaign. His extension started this past season, and unfortunately, it was a tough year for the Georgetown, Ontario native. 

In 59 games this past season with the Blackhawks, Dickinson recorded just seven goals, nine assists, and a minus-11 rating. Overall, the 2013 first-round pick's offense noticeably dropped in 2024-25, and his goal from here will now be to bounce back next season.

When looking at Dickinson's first two seasons with the Blackhawks, there is reason to believe that he can get things back on track. He has shown in the past with Chicago that he can produce decent secondary offensive production, and this was especially the case in 2023-24. While expecting him to score 22 goals again may be a big ask, him reaching the 30-point mark again should not be ruled out. If he does, it would be good for a Blackhawks club that is hoping to take a step forward in 2025-26. 

Nevertheless, it is going to be very fascinating to see what kind of season Dickinson has next year. The potential for him to get his offense back up and continue to be a smart defensive center is undoubtedly there. 

Blackhawks Young Defender Gets Big Shout-OutWith the Chicago Blackhawks rebuilding, they have plenty of promising young players. One of them is defenseman Wyatt Kaiser, as the 22-year-old blueliner has the potential to become a nice piece for them as he continues to adjust to the NHL level.

Photo Credit:  © Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

The Hockey News Big Show discussed the top players in the NHL right now, as ranked in THN’s Top 100 Players issue, and other topics as the off-season continues.

The NHL's Top Players Right Now by The Big Showundefined

Here’s what Katie Gaus, Michael Traikos and Ryan Kennedy discussed in this episode:

01:00: Why was Nathan Mackinon No. 1 on the list?

04:00: Thoughts on Cale Makar’s spot on the list?

06:00: What were the criteria for the top 10 of the list?

07:40: How much did championships play a factor?

09:00: Which player in the top 10 who hasn't won the Stanley Cup will win it first?

13:00: Which players who weren’t on the list could jump onto it in the future?

16:30: Who could potentially fall out of the list?

19:00:  Who are some young players who could soon join the list?

20:40: Who will be the most improved players?

23:50: Which rookie will make the list first?

26:15: Looking toward the season ahead, which teams could exceed expectations and or disappoint?

30:15: Are the Toronto Maple Leafs worse on paper?

33:00: Which team are you most excited to watch going into next season?

36:30: Did the Tampa Bay Lightning need to do more?

38:45: Should the Florida Panthers still be considered Cup favourites?

40:45: Where does the Tkachuk-Huberdeau deal rank in terms of blockbuster trades?

43:30: Kappo Kakko signed a three-year contract. Yay or nay on the cap hit and term?

44:40: How stoked are you for Adam Fox appearing in an ad for The Naked Gun reboot?

Watch the full Episode here 

Subscribe to The Hockey News Big Show on your preferred platform.

Former New Jersey Devils right winger Daniel Sprong has officially signed with the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) after a decade in the NHL. He will continue his career abroad with CSKA Moscow.

Sprong was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut that same season, playing 18 games with the Penguins in 2015-16 before being assigned to the AHL.

From 2018-19 through 2024-25, Sprong played for six different NHL teams. He spent two seasons with the Anaheim Ducks (2018-20), followed by a year with the Washington Capitals (2020-22). He then joined the Seattle Kraken from 2021 to 2023.

The final stretch of his NHL career saw him with the Detroit Red Wings, Vancouver Canucks, Seattle Kraken, and finally the New Jersey Devils. During the 2024-25 season, Sprong was traded three times, splitting the year between the Canucks, Kraken, and Devils.

He joined the Devils on March 7, 2025, appearing in 11 games for the team.

Sprong recorded two assists with New Jersey, while on a one-year, $975,000 contract.

Reflecting on his time with the Devils, Sprong told Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News:

"I loved it here. A great group of guys (and) great fans. I would say everything before New Jersey (this season) was pretty difficult. Mentally, I had a lot of ups and downs, mostly downs, but when I got to New Jersey, I think I fit in well."

After the 2024-25 season, Sprong became an unrestricted free agent when the Devils chose not to re-sign him, and no other NHL teams picked him up.

Speaking about his time in New Jersey, Sprong praised Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe, saying in his exit interview:

"He is my favorite coach I have played for in the NHL so far. He is honest. He says it how it is. That works really well for me."

Over his NHL career, Sprong played 374 games and tallied 166 points. 

Now 28 years old, Sprong has opted to continue his career in the KHL, though a future NHL return remains possible.

Photo Credit: © Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Defenseman John Ludvig has signed a contract with Czechia's HC Dynamo Pardubice, the team announced Wednesday.

Ludvig recorded two assists in eight games with the Colorado Avalanche and 12 points in 31 games with the Colorado Eagles last season.

The 24-year-old appeared in 33 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season and has seven points in 41 career NHL games. He has six goals and 37 points in 105 career AHL games with the Eagles, Syracuse Crunch, Charlotte Checkers, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. 

Originally a third round selection of the Florida Panthers in 2019, Ludvig was claimed off waivers by the Penguins prior to the 2023-24 season and by the Avalanche prior to the 2024-25 season. He was not issued a qualifying offer by Colorado this off-season. 

𝐉𝐎𝐇𝐍 𝐋𝐔𝐃𝐕𝐈𝐆 🫵🏻 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 pic.twitter.com/iOdFJA8xH0

— HC DYNAMO PARDUBICE (@HCPCE) July 23, 2025

This is a somewhat surprising move for the young defender given his NHL experience over the past two seasons but he will play a significant role in Pardubice where his father, seven-year NHL veteran Jan Ludvig, currently serves as a skills coach.

Check out our AHL Free Agency signing tracker here.   

Photo Credit: © Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Fans of the Florida Panthers are in an enviable situation.

Not only is the team back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions, which is amazing in and of itself, but the club’s roster is full of high-end players in the prime years of their career and they are all signed to long-term deals.

That means that Cats fans can feel confident in shelling out large amounts of cash to get a jersey with their favorite player’s name and number on the back, as odds are that player is going to be with the team for quite a while.

When looking at Florida’s core, an interesting thought occurred recently.

How many players on the Panthers current roster will end up with their jersey number hanging in the rafters?

Currently, Florida’s only retired numbers are 1, 37 and 93.

The 93 is for Bill Torrey, the team’s first president, and 37 is for team founder and original owner Wayne Huizenga.

No. 1 is for Roberto Luongo, the only actual player to have his jersey number retired by the team.

That is surely going to change sometime in the future, and we’re currently watching the player or players who will be immortalized in Panthers lore once they hang up their skates.

But who could it be?

Over the coming days, THN Florida will make a potential case for several players currently on Florida’s roster who could end up being the last to wear their respective numbers for the franchise.

The first player is probably the most obvious choice on the roster, and that’s Florida captain Sasha Barkov.

In all likelihood, Barkov will play the entirety of his NHL career with the Panthers.

Drafted second overall by Florida at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Barkov was in the lineup for the following Opening Night.

He scored his first NHL goal that night in Dallas and has been a mainstay atop the forward ranks ever since.

Barkov was named the tenth captain in Panthers history prior to the 2018-19 season and has developed into the league’s best two-way forward, earning Selke Trophies in 2021, 2024 and 2025.

At it stands, Barkov leads the team in almost every significant statistical category.

He’s the Panthers franchise leader in games played, goals, assists, points, shots on goal, power play goals, even strength goals and game-winning goals.

Barkov is also the only Florida captain to lead the team to a Stanley Cup championship, becoming the first ever Finnish-born captain to hoist the Cup in the process.

Barkov is Florida’s highest paid forward but still carries a reasonable (for a superstar) $10 million AAV (average annual value). That contract expires following the 2029-30 season, when Barkov will be 34 years old.

It’s hard to imagine Barkov, who is as good of a person off the ice as he is a player on the ice, not becoming a Panthers lifer whose jersey hangs in the rafters forever.

As we get further down the potential retired number list, there will be more to debate than there is with Barkov.

Stay tuned to see who we discuss next.

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Photo caption: Jun 12, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov (16) skates between play during the third period against the Edmonton Oilers in game four of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)

Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Daniel Sprong is heading overseas, as he has signed a one-year contract with CSKA Moscow of the KHL.

Sprong was selected by the Penguins with the 46th overall pick of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Following being drafted, he immediately got some NHL time with the Penguins, posting two goals and a minus-1 rating in 18 games during the 2015-16 campaign. From there, he played three seasons with the Penguins, where he posted four goals, five assists, nine points, and a minus-6 rating in 42 games.

After struggling to find his fit with the Penguins, Sprong was traded to the Anaheim Ducks during the 2018-19 season in exchange for defenseman Marcus Pettersson. From there, he had stops with the Ducks, Washington Capitals, Seattle Kraken, Detroit Red Wings, Vancouver Canucks, and New Jersey Devils. 

In 374 games over nine NHL seasons, Sprong recorded 87 goals, 79 assists, 166 points, and a minus-3 rating. It will now be intriguing to see how Sprong performs over in the KHL from here. If he impresses, perhaps it could lead to him getting interest from NHL clubs again next summer. 

Photo Credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Anaheim Ducks have missed the playoffs every year since 2017-18 and in doing so, have drafted in the top ten for seven consecutive seasons and procured one of the NHL’s deepest and most potent prospect pools. 

Despite several young players having graduated and become full-time NHLers, such as Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger, the Ducks still have an impressive pipeline of potential impact and depth prospects yet to make the jump. 

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For this exercise, only players who haven’t lost rookie status are eligible for a ranking, and to be clear, these are my (Patrick Present) subjective rankings. 

Honorable Mentions: Yegor Sidorov, Herman Traff, Tarin Smith, Lasse Boelius, Calle Clang

Top Ten:

10. Nathan Gaucher, 21, C, San Diego Gulls (AHL)

9. Ian Moore, 23, RHD, San Diego Gulls (AHL)

8. Sasha Pastujov, 22, W, San Diego Gulls (AHL)

7. Tomas Suchanek, 22, G, San Diego Gulls (AHL)

Despite the Ducks having a wide collection of dart throws in the organization when it comes to goaltending prospects like Damian Clara, Calle Clang, Elijah Neuenschwander, and Vyacheslav Buteyets, only one made the top ten list of their overall prospects: Tomas Suchanek.

After a sparkling rookie AHL season with the Gulls, Suchanek sustained a gruesome ACL injury during offseason training in the summer of 2024, after returning home to his native Czechia following Ducks development camp. His injury required surgery, and he was forced to miss the entire 2024-25 season.

Suchanek’s road hadn’t been the smoothest leading up to the injury, and he, along with the Ducks organization, is hoping it’s nothing more than a speed bump, as he’s already overcome numerous obstacles to get to this point in his career.

He signed with the Gulls on a standard player contract in 2023 after having gone undrafted in 2021, 2022, and 2023, despite a quality season in Czechia’s second tier professional division in 2020-21, a solid two seasons after making the jump to the WHL playing for the Tri-City Americans between 2021 and 2023, and a simply spectacular showing at the 2023 World Junior Championship, where he backstopped Czechia to a silver medal (lost in overtime of the championship game) and posted a 5-0-2 record, a .934 SV%, and one shutout.

He earned a development, rookie, and training camp invite from the Ducks ahead of the 2023-24 season. In his first professional season in North America, he battled his way out of the ECHL with a 3-5-0 record and .906 SV% and competed for AHL starts with Alex Stalock and Calle Clang, where he shined brightest with a 14-10-5 record, a .910 SV%, and three shutouts. 

Similar to friend and countryman, as well as starting Ducks goaltender, Lukas Dostal, Suchanek exudes poise and enthusiasm off the ice, as well as a focused calm in the crease. He displays true angles and stays square as pucks are moved throughout the defensive zone in front of him. He can flash dazzling athleticism at times, especially with his hands, both glove and blocker sides.

The aspect that jumps out and is most impressive from a young netminder is his ability to play the puck with his stick and manage the game in front of him. Having him stop pucks behind the net is akin to having a third defenseman to assist in puck retrievals, and he can ignite breakouts with crisp outlets. 

Suchanek is fully recovered and attended Ducks development camp following the 2025 NHL Draft and noted how difficult it was to get his reaction time back up to speed. 

"It went better than I thought," Suchanek said. "I thought (that) I'm going to have to learn how to skate again, but it went pretty good, so I was pretty happy. 

"The biggest focus is to go step-by-step right now. You can have some goals, but I need to come back to the camp and prove to everyone and show everyone I'm still able to play hockey, as I did before the injuries. So, my main goal right now is to just show everyone that I can still play."

Suchanek has used his resilience as a motivating factor in the past and will look to do the same as he heads into rookie and training camps in September. 

"It's been very long," Suchanek said. ”Took a lot (longer) than I thought it was gonna take. It's been pretty hard, but I'm super excited to be back and anxious to play hockey again.”

The 2025-26 season will be year two of a three-year entry-level contract Suchanek signed with the Ducks in March 2024.

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Photo Credit: Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK