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Connor Bedard created plenty of offensive chances during the Chicago Blackhawks' first game of the 2025-26 season against the Florida Panthers. However, the Blackhawks' young star was held off the scoresheet during Chicago's season opener against the reigning Stanley Cup champs. 

Yet, Bedard changed things on that front during the Blackhawks' Oct. 9 contest against the Boston Bruins, as he scored his first goal of the season. It was a very nice one, too. 

After receiving a great feed from Blackhawks forward Andre Burakovsky in front, Bedard one-timed it past Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo with a fantastic slap shot.

Connor Bedard gets his first of the season off an absolute ROCKET! 🚀 #NHLFaceOffpic.twitter.com/PDLPFqslvF

— NHL (@NHL) October 9, 2025

There is no question that Bedard has a nice shot, and he undoubtedly showed it off on this play. It was a great way for the 2023 first-overall pick to get his first of the campaign, and it will be interesting to see how he builds off it from here. 

PITTSBURGH, PA -- During the New York Islanders’ season opener on Thursday, 2025 first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer scored his first NHL point, marking an early milestone for the young defenseman. 

After going down 1-0 early in the first period against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Islanders got a much-needed boost from Schaefer.

After making an important zone entry, Schaefer dished the puck to winger and fellow new Islander Johnathan Drouin, who shot it past Tristan Jarry to tie the game at 1-1.

The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) on XDrouin from Schaefer. First #Isles 🚨 for Drouin. (Thank you @walsha ) First Schaefer NHL 🍎 in his first NHL game.

Schaefer became the youngest defenseman in NHL history (18 years, 34 days) to record a point in his league debut.

Per @AlanFuehring, Schaefer becomes the young player in NHL history to record a point in his NHL debut. #Isles

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) October 9, 2025

Schaefer played 6:56 in the first period, recording an assist and one takeaway. 

Kai Russell contributed to this story. 

Flyers struggle for offense as Tocchet era starts with loss to Panthers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers’ season-opening magic came to an end Thursday night at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.

Rick Tocchet’s club started the 2025-26 campaign with a 2-1 loss to the Panthers. It marked the Flyers’ first regulation defeat in a season opener since 2014-15. The team was 8-0-2 in its previous 10 season openers.

Tocchet, a Flyers Hall of Famer, was working his first game in his return to the organization as its head coach.

Noah Cates scored the club’s lone goal, which drew the Flyers even at 1-1 heading into second intermission.

When the Flyers went back down one in the third period, Travis Konecny had a golden opportunity to tie it with under eight and a half minutes left. But the Flyers’ top offensive threat misfired along the goal line.

The Flyers were without top-pair defenseman Cam York, who is day to day because of a lower-body issue. Also on the back end, as expected, Rasmus Ristolainen remained out as he recovers from surgery on a second triceps tendon rupture.

Florida, the two-time defending champs, improved to 2-0-0 despite missing Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Barkov, a three-time Selke Trophy winner, is out long term with a knee injury, while Tkachuk, a two-time 40-or-more goal scorer, has a groin injury.

• Dan Vladar got the call between the pipes and converted 32 saves on 34 shots in his Flyers debut.

He had 24 saves on 25 shots by the end of the second period.

The Panthers’ game-winning goal came on a Brad Marchand shot from distance. Vladar looked like he never saw it as the puck whizzed by his shoulder.

Other than that, Vladar was real solid. The first goal he allowed was on Florida’s third of five power play opportunities. Anton Lundell scored on a quick shot from the circle in the middle stanza.

The Flyers’ decision to start Vladar in the opener may have been somewhat surprising, but Danny Briere did allude to an open competition after he signed the 28-year-old.

“He has a chance to become our No. 1, depending on how he plays, how our other guys play,” the Flyers’ general manager said in July. “And one thing at the end of the year, when I met with our group of goalies, I told them, ‘You have to be ready at training camp.’ I said, ‘This wasn’t good enough last season, we’re probably going to go out and bring in some reinforcements, and you’re going to be in a battle, all of you guys.'”

Vladar had a better goals-against average and save percentage in the preseason than Samuel Ersson, so the Flyers rewarded him.

Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 19 of the Flyers’ 20 shots.

• Offseason additions Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak combined for three penalties and one shot.

The Flyers will want Zegras to be more aggressive offensively.

• Nikita Grebenkin and Jett Luchanko, two of the Flyers’ youngsters up front, were healthy scratches.

It’s not uncommon for coaches to lean toward a veteran lineup on opening night. Tocchet did that on the road against a physical team with championship pedigree.

But the Flyers don’t want to make a habit of sitting young players. And considering how much they struggled to find offense Thursday night, you’d think at least one of their kids will get a look in Game 2 of the season.

Grebenkin, a 22-year-old winger, could give them a lift. He gets after the puck and can complement talent.

• The Flyers are back in action Saturday when they visit the Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Matthew Schaefer has arrived.

It didn't take long for the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft to make his mark on the Island.

Schaefer connected with veteran winger Jonathan Drouin midway through the first period of the Islanders' season opener Thursday night in Pittsburgh for the team's opening goal of the season.

The 18-year-old found a cutting Drouin in the slot, who fired it by Triston Jarry for the one-time goal.

He is now the youngest defenseman in NHL history to record a point in his league debut.

Schaefer impressed on both ends of the ice throughout training camp and preseason action, and now he's quickly carried over that success into the regular season.

First NHL game ✅
First NHL point ✅

Matthew Schaefer picks up the assist for his first point! #NHLFaceOffpic.twitter.com/MKdVqqZAq1

— NHL (@NHL) October 9, 2025

AHL alumnus Anthony Angello has announced his retirement from professional hockey on his personal Instagram. 

The forward recorded 14 points in 41 games with the Milwaukee Admirals and 10 points in 19 games with the Syracuse Crunch last season. 

Angello finishes his career with 72 goals and 143 points in 339 career AHL games over parts of eight seasons with the Admirals, Crunch, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and Springfield Thunderbirds.

A fifth round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2014, Angello had three goals and five points in 31 career NHL games, all with Pittsburgh. 

Anthony Angello scoring in #BELvsSPR 🤝 Happy @ThunderbirdsAHL fans pic.twitter.com/yhZsUougOb

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) January 28, 2023

The 29-year-old turned pro in 2018 after three years at Cornell University where he had 70 points in 102 games and was named to the ECAC Second All-Star Team in 2017-18. 

After a strong showing with Syracuse to close out the season it was somewhat surprising to see Angello not receive another AHL contract. 

Check out our AHL to KHL signing tracker and AHL Free Agency signing tracker.      

As the NHL's salary cap continues to grow, more players are signing massive contracts. 

Last week, the Minnesota Wild signed superstar left winger Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year, $136-million extension with a league-high $17-million cap hit. And this week, Kyle Connor and Jack Eichel signed eight-year deals worth $96 million and $108 million, respectively.

Even with the increasing salary cap since the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a few stars who have chosen to prioritize loyalty over money.

The biggest example recently is Connor McDavid, who chose to keep his $12.5-million cap hit for two more years with the Edmonton Oilers this week. He said he's motivated to win the Stanley Cup, which means that money isn't the top priority.

Here’s a look at three more players who took a pay cut to remain with their hometown team.

Claude Giroux, RW, Ottawa Senators

After signing a three-year deal worth $6.5 million annually with the Ottawa Senators in 2022, Giroux did nothing but impress. He tallied 50 or more points in all three seasons, including a 79-point year in 2022-23.

In addition to his stellar performance in the regular season, he was a main contributor in their lone playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he tallied five points, tied for the second-most on the team. 

Giroux was also effective on the power play, totalling 61 points across three years.

Despite entering his age-37 season, Giroux was showing little to no signs of slowing down and was set to enter free agency with the opportunity to earn a contract with a similar, potentially even higher cap hit than his last.

However, he opted to take a pay cut to remain with the Senators.

In July of this year, he signed a one-year, $2 million deal, with bonuses that could increase the value of the contract to $4.75 million. 

Giroux said he wanted to remain in Ottawa and continue to build with his teammates.

"It's not really about the money; it's what we've built the last few years," Giroux told reporters in July. It's not going to be easy next year; teams are going to be waiting for us. We still have a lot of work to do. But it's still work that I want to do with my teammates."

Given the base salary of his current contract decreased by $3.5 million despite his high level of play, there’s no doubt Giroux could’ve earned more should he have explored the market.

Aaron Ekblad, D, Florida Panthers

The 2014 first overall pick has been an anchor in the Florida Panthers' defense group for the past 12 seasons.

After performing well in his first three seasons in the NHL, Ekblad was rewarded with an eight-year, $60 million extension worth $7.5 million annually with the Panthers. 

Across those eight years, Ekblad was a key contributor on the power play, putting up 28 goals and 64 assists on the man advantage.

He has also been a key piece to the Panthers' recent playoff success, including their two Stanley Cup wins in 2024 and 2025.

In 83 career playoff games, he's posted 33 points and a plus-21 rating, showing his ability to contribute on both ends of the ice. 

His 2025 playoffs, the last on his contract, were his best. He achieved 13 points and a plus-19 rating over 19 games.

With Ekblad coming off an excellent season and entering free agency once again at just 29 years old, he was set to sign a rich extension that would likely exceed the value of his previous contract. 

However, he opted to take a pay cut to remain with the Panthers.

On June 30, 2025, Ekblad signed a six-year, $48.8 million extension worth $6.1 million annually that will keep him under contract until the end of the 2032-33 season.

In July, Ekblad told reporters that in addition to Florida being home for him and his wife, he prioritized his teammates.

“When you’re looking around the league, I don’t think there’s a better partner than Gus Forsling– and on top of that, a better group of guys,” Ekblad said.

Ekblad’s extension was announced just hours before free agency began. With plenty of teams looking for a strong defensive presence and veteran leadership, there’s little doubt that Ekblad couldn’t have gotten more had he opted to hit the open market.

Anze Kopitar, C, Los Angeles Kings

The 20-year NHL veteran is the definition of loyalty. Drafted 11th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2005, Kopitar has spent his entire career with the team that selected him.

Since being drafted, Kopitar has been a leader and staple of consistency in the Kings organization.

The star forward has excelled wherever he’s been put. He’s only had one season below 50 points, which was in 2012, when the NHL season was shortened to just 48 games.

Over 1,456 regular-season games, Kopitar has 1,280 points, the second-most in franchise history and just 27 behind Marcel Dionne. 

He’s also been exceptional in the playoffs, tallying 89 points in 109 games.

Kopitar is also a two-time winner of the Selke Trophy for being the best defensive forward, a one-time recipient of the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award and a three-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy, which is awarded to the player who best demonstrates sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct while still maintaining a high standard of playing ability.

He was named the team’s captain in 2016, replacing Dustin Brown. It was a sign of dedication to Kopitar, who helped lead the team to Stanley Cup wins in 2012 and 2014.

Just months before being named captain, Kopitar signed an eight-year, $80-million extension worth $10 million per season. With the salary cap at $73 million that season, the contract was considered exceptionally large.

However, Kopitar continued his exceptional play and proved why he was worth every penny.

Kopitar was set to hit free agency at the end of 2024. However, he had no desire to test the open market. 

After posting a 70-point campaign in 2023, Kopitar opted to take a pay cut and re-signed with the Kings on a two-year contract worth $7 million annually.

Considering he remained an effective first-line forward who contributes on the power play and in the playoffs, there’s no doubt Kopitar could have earned more, but he chose to play his final seasons in the NHL with the Kings, where he's always been.

Michael Hapanovich is an intern with The Hockey News.

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