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Blackhawks Are A More Competitive Team In 2025-26, In Large Part Due To The Emergence Of Frank Nazar

As we begin the 2025-26 regular season, some things in the NHL aren’t changing – namely, the Chicago Blackhawks are still a win-challenged team, as they’ve gone 0-2-1 in their first three games.

The Blackhawks have kept the scores close, as all three games were one-goal games. So, having only one standings point to show for it has to be disappointing to Hawks fans, players and executives. 

That said, one of the bright lights of Chicago’s first three games is the performance of blossoming star center Frank Nazar. The 21-year-old is currently tied for third place in NHL scoring, with four assists and five points. It’s unfair to expect the second-year NHLer to sustain his current point pace, but after Nazar posted 12 goals and 26 points in 53 games with the Hawks last season, he’s now got the opportunity of a lifetime this season.

It was always going to be a tremendous long shot for the Blackhawks to be even in the conversation for a playoff berth, so the winless three-game start to the season can’t be a surprise. This is still a franchise with serious holes in the lineup, and there’s going to be pain ahead for Chicago, no matter what Nazar does.

But for Hawks fans who’ve suffered through the bad part of the competitive cycle virtually all teams go through from generation to generation, having another legitimate star player to invest their time, money and emotion into is no small step forward. Nazar is blossoming before their eyes, and Blackhawks fans are stoked to see it.

With a continued strong start, Nazar has the potential to open up even more opportunities for himself. Namely, we’re talking about him making Team America’s 2026 Olympic roster. With the U.S.’s center spots basically taken up by Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews, Vegas Golden Knights star Jack Eichel, New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes, and New York Rangers star J.T. Miller, there’s not an opening for Nazar. But maybe Nazar gets on the roster to fill one of the two extra forwards spots. That’s not unreasonable for him to aim for.

So, having Nazar continue his hot streak helps the Blackhawks on numerous levels. If he plays well, he takes some heat off of Bedard, who has had to bear the brunt of the spotlight as Chicago’s foundational player. Nazar isn’t at Bedard’s stage right now, and he may never be.  But as long as he continues to grow his game, there’s every chance he can establish himself as a fixture in the Windy City for many years to come.

Frank Nazar (Talia Sprague-Imagn Images)

Nazar’s usage has skyrocketed in the three games he’s played this year. After averaging just 15:52 of ice time last season, Nazar has played more than 20 minutes in two of his three games, and he’s averaging 19:53 of ice time in total. That’s a huge step forward, and new Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill is going to be hitching his wagon to Chicago’s young core of players. That core now clearly includes Nazar, as he has been prominent at 5-on-5, the power play and the penalty kill.

Chicago still needs to stock up on as many elite young players as possible, so when the Hawks do as expected and finish at the bottom of the league again this season, there will be a payoff consolation from the draft system. The Blackhawks are going to wobble and fall over often in the next few years as they put parts in place for a sustained playoff push, but given how rare it is to find legitimate difference-makers, it has to be a thrill for Hawks management and coaching to know they have an emerging gem in Nazar.

A lot can still happen to Nazar as teams scout him and figure out his weaknesses, but Nazar can continue to stay one step ahead of his opponents and thrive in hockey’s top league. His start to this season is very encouraging for the Blackhawks and for Nazar himself, and it’s a good idea to keep your eyes on Nazar as he negotiates the ascent up the competitive mountain and carves out a great legacy in Chicago. 

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Panthers sign forward Jonah Gadjovich to 2-year contract extension

The Florida Panthers took care of a little business on Sunday.

While much of the league was enjoying an off day, and the Panthers were preparing to hit the road for the first time this season, the team announced a contract extension for forward Jonah Gadjovich.

The big, bruising winger signed a two-year extension to stay on with the Cats through 2028 after establishing himself as a reliable option on Florida’s fourth line.

“Jonah has become an integral part of our locker room and a strong contributor for our group on the ice,” Panthers GM Bill Zito said in a statement released by the team. “He possesses a fearless attitude and unrelenting competitiveness, and we are excited for Jonah to continue with us in South Florida.”

The two-year extension carries an AAV (average annual value) of $905,000, which is a nice little pay bump from the $775 AAV his previous deal came with.

News of the deal came on Sunday, which also happened to be Gadjovich’s 27th birthday.

During his first two seasons with the Panthers, Gadjovich accumulated six goals, eight points and 164 penalty minutes over 81 regular season games while adding another two goals and an assist in 16 playoff outings during Florida’s latest Stanley Cup run.

So far this season, he’s picked up an assist and a plus-one on-ice rating over the Cats’ first three games.

Gadjovich and the Panthers will be back in action on Monday night when Florida begins a five-game road trip against the Philadelphia Flyers.

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Photo caption: Oct 2, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Jonah Gadjovich (12) warms up before a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

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Which 2025–26 NHL Team Has The Most Former Canucks?

The 2025–26 NHL season is officially underway, with the Vancouver Canucks having played in two games already. Around the league, many former Canucks have also started their 2025–26 seasons, albeit with different teams. In total, there are 38 ex-Canucks who are currently on their new teams’ rosters and 22 different NHL teams with at least one former Canuck on them. Here’s a closer look at these former Canucks and which teams have the most of them. 

There are 11 different NHL teams that currently have one former Canuck on their rosters. Artūrs Šilovs, who led the Abbotsford Canucks to their first Calder Cup Championship as playoff MVP, is now with the Pittsburgh Penguins and is projected to play a big role in their crease. Bruising forward Jonah Gadjovich was drafted by the Canucks in 2017 and played one game with them in 2020–21, but now returns to the Florida Panthers for his third-straight season with the defending Stanley Cup Champions. In the west, the Los Angeles Kings have goal-scorer Andrei Kuzmenko, while Ben Hutton returns for his fourth straight season with the Vegas Golden Knights. 

A former Canuck who has carved out a solid position for himself is Jalen Chatfield, who enters his fifth season with the Carolina Hurricanes. Casey DeSmith remains a solid backup to Jake Oettinger for the Dallas Stars, while Erik Gudbranson will return to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final season of his four-year contract with the team. Former Canucks defenceman and Quinn Hughes D-pairing partner, Travis Hamonic, starts a new journey with the Detroit Red Wings after spending the past three-and-a-half seasons with the Ottawa Senators.  

The Philadelphia Flyers have two former Canucks — a player (Noah Juulsen) and a head coach (Rick Tocchet). Jared McCann, a former Canucks draft pick in 2014 and 40-goal scorer in 2022–23, remains with the Seattle Kraken. After signing with them in free-agency this year, Pius Suter embarks on his first season with the St. Louis Blues and will play his former team at Rogers Arena on Monday, October 13. 

Six NHL teams have two former Canucks on their rosters, with two of these teams being located in the Western Conference. The Utah Mammoth have two ex-Canucks defencemen in Ian Cole and Nate Schmidt, while the Winnipeg Jets have welcomed both forward Tanner Pearson and defenceman Luke Schenn to their lineup. 

Nov 9, 2024; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) shoots the puck as New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce (22) and goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) defend during the overtime period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images

Four ex-Canucks currently play out of the city of New York. Former Canucks captain Bo Horvat and defenceman Ethan Bear are playing for the New York Islanders now. Their division rivals, the New York Rangers, have named a new captain in J.T. Miller. Defenceman Carson Soucy is also on the Rangers’ roster. Also located in the Eastern Conference are Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov with the Boston Bruins, and Anthony Beauvilier and Nic Dowd with the Washington Capitals. 

Five NHL teams are tied with having the most former Canucks currently on their roster at three apiece, with two Canadian teams represented in this list. The Toronto Maple Leafs have welcomed ex-Canuck defencemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Chris Tanev to their second seasons with the team, while forward Dakota Joshua enters his first after being traded back in July. Center Curtis Lazar, defenceman Troy Stecher, and forward Vasily Podkolzin are all on the Edmonton Oilers after various methods of movement. 

Groups of former Canucks continue throughout the U.S., with the New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, and Chicago Blackhawks all having three of these players on their roster. Playing alongside two Hughes brothers in New Jersey are former Canucks Juho Lammikko, Zack MacEwen, and Jacob Markström. San Jose features two forwards and a defenceman in Adam Gaudette, Tyler Toffoli, and Vincent Desharnais. Finally, the Blackhawks have a trio of ex-Canuck forwards including Jason Dickinson, Sam Lafferty, and Ilya Mikheyev. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Flyers Recall Defenseman & Send Another To AHL

Emil Andrae (© Eric Canha-Imagn Images)

The Philadelphia Flyers are switching up their defensive group. 

The Flyers have announced that they have recalled defenseman Emil Andrae from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In addition, the Flyers shared that blueliner Dennis Gilbert has been sent down to the Phantoms.

Andrae has recorded two assists in one game this season with the Phantoms. He also played in 25 games this past season with the Phantoms, where he recorded three goals, 13 assists, 16 points, and a plus-9 rating.

At the NHL level this past season with the Flyers, Andrae posted one goal, six assists, seven points, and a minus-5 rating. Now, after getting this latest call-up to the Flyers’ roster, the 23-year-old blueliner will be aiming to impress. 

Gilbert has yet to make his Flyers regular-season debut this campaign but will now get the chance to get into some game action with the Phantoms. The 6-foot-2 defenseman appeared in 29 games this past season split between the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators, where he posted six assists, 50 penalty minutes, 63 hits, and a minus-3 rating.

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What we learned as Brandin Podziemski dominates in Warriors' loss to Lakers

What we learned as Brandin Podziemski dominates in Warriors' loss to Lakers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Dating back to last season, the Warriors came into Sunday night having won eight consecutive preseason games. The streak came to an end in their 126-116 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. 

The Warriors were without multiple key contributors, including Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford and Moses Moody. Seth Curry missed his third straight preseason game after being a late signing to training camp, and De’Anthony Melton (knee) and Alex Toohey (ankle) continue to be out from injuries.

Vying for a starting position in the backcourt, Brandin Podziemski took advantage of being a focal point of the Warriors’ offense. Podziemski had nine points through the first half and then caught fire in the third, scoring 14. The Warriors then only trailed by five points going into the fourth quarter because of Podziemski’s efforts. 

Podziemski’s night was done, leaving the comeback attempt to the rest of his teammates. But Sunday night in LA belonged to Podziemski, showing how he can be a reliable scorer and playmaker, especially when the Warriors aren’t at full strength. Podziemski in 26 minutes scored 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting and also had five rebounds and eight assists. He was a plus-6.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ first loss of the preseason.

Shorthanded Starters

Down their top two players, adding Horford and Moody to the list of Warriors absences called for an interesting starting five. Coach Steve Kerr started with Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Quinten Post. Moody is out the rest of the preseason and will be re-evaluated in a week with what the Warriors are calling a strained calf. 

“We’re not too concerned about it. It’s just we’re being careful,” Kerr told reporters in LA. 

The age of the Warriors’ top players already guarantees Kerr will have to be comfortable with multiple combinations and consistently tinker with who his starters are. This was the perfect opportunity for several young Warriors and role players to step up. The score was tied 13-13 when Kerr made his first substitution, bringing Gary Payton II in for Post. 

Golden State’s starting five began the second half together, and came out strong trying to cut down a 17-point deficit. The Lakers’ lead was cut to 10 points with the Warriors outscoring the Lakers 21-14 through the first five and a half minutes of the third quarter when Kerr brought Payton in for Post.

Kuminga’s Highs And Lows

Offense will have to run through Kuminga on nights that Curry and Butler are out. There were moments where he showed he can step up with more responsibility, and others where consistency continues to be a problem.

Kuminga in the first quarter twice took advantage of Dalton Knecht switching onto him in the post. He also had three assists in the first quarter. Then in the second, Kuminga went from getting his ankles crossed on defense to throwing down an explosive dunk that only he can slam left-handed with ease and authority. 

Kuminga in the first half scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting and had four assists. His fourth was a dime to Pat Spencer cutting into the paint for a layup. But Kuminga also didn’t have one rebound at halftime, led the Warriors with five turnovers and was a game-low minus-18.

There were highs and lows in Kuminga’s third game of the preseason. Kuminga played 22 minutes and scored an efficient 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He dominated around the rim, but missed his only 2-point shot outside the paint and badly forced one of his three 3-point attempts. 

The process overall has been positive. Kuminga is keeping his eyes up and mostly has been in flow of the offense. He finished with no rebounds, six assists and five turnovers as a minus-10.

Creating Space

Between offseason additions and the development of certain players, Kerr has raved over the space these Warriors can create. He now can have an offense that plays four-out, or even five-out. When at full strength, that is. 

The end of the first quarter saw a unit of Pat Spencer, Will Richard, Payton, Gui Santos and Trayce Jackson-Davis struggle to score with very little spacing. None of those five are considered threats to shoot from long distance. The start of the second quarter also was a struggle. 

That group featured Podziemski, Hield, Kuminga, Santos and Jackson-Davis. Those five give Kerr one surefire 3-point threat in Hield, and a hopeful second with Podziemski. The Warriors as a team in the first half shot 19 percent from three, going 4 of 21. Payton was the only bench player to make a three, and no Warrior made multiple threes. 

They also didn’t attempt a single free throw in the first half, while the Lakers went 13 of 15 at the line.

After making only four 3-pointers in the first half, the Warriors made three in the first two and a half minutes of the third quarter – two by Post and one from Podziemski – and five for the entire quarter. The Warriors made two more threes than the Lakers, 14 to 12, but shot a lowly 32.6 percent, which was far lower than LA’s 44.4 percent clip. Podziemski, Post and LJ Cryer were the only Warriors to make more than one three. 

Richard (1 of 6), Santos (1 of 5) and Spencer (1 of 5) combined to go 3 of 17 on threes.

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Blackhawks Young Star Is Shining Early On

Frank Nazar (© David Banks-Imagn Images)

The Chicago Blackhawks have several young players who they will be hoping hit new levels during the 2025-26 season. Among the most notable is young center Frank Nazar.

Nazar just had a solid rookie season with the Blackhawks during the 2024-25 campaign, as he recorded 12 goals, 14 assists, and 26 points in 53 games. The 2022 first-round pick demonstrated plenty of promise during his rookie season with numbers like these, and it is exactly why the Blackhawks signed him to a big seven-year, $46.13 million contract extension this off-season, which kicks in during the 2026-27 season.

Now, after signing his big contract extension this summer, Nazar is having a great start with the Blackhawks in 2025-26. In three games so far, the 5-foot-10 forward has recorded one goal, four assists, five points, and a plus-2 rating. This includes him recording two assists and a plus-1 rating in the Blackhawks' most recent contest against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 11.

Nazar is showing clear signs that he is ready to have a big breakout season offensively for the Blackhawks, and it is hard not to feel excited about his future with the Central Division club. It will be very interesting to see how he builds on his hot start to the year from here. 

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Sixers roll out Embiid-Bona frontcourt in Blue-White scrimmage

Sixers roll out Embiid-Bona frontcourt in Blue-White scrimmage  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Joel Embiid’s in the middle of a new twist to Sixers head coach Nick Nurse’s preseason tinkering.

Embiid featured Sunday in the Sixers’ annual Blue-White scrimmage at Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware. And he shared the floor with another big man in Adem Bona. 

Nurse confirmed after the scrimmage that he’s “trying to look at Bona and Joel together.” With Paul George sidelined as he works back from a left knee injury and Trendon Watford out because of right hamstring tightness, it’s not yet clear how the Sixers will divvy up power forward minutes. Two-way contract player Dominick Barlow has played well this preseason and fellow two-way Jabari Walker has also been in the mix. 

Bona is an unconventional option, although Nurse noted his role may not change much alongside Embiid. The 22-year-old stuck almost exclusively to dunks, layups, put-backs and the occasional post-up his rookie year. In contrast, Embiid’s jump shooting and overall array of offensive skills have historically been giant strengths. 

“I think there’s kind of an open position at the four, especially right now with Paul not being quite ready yet,” Nurse said. “There’s a number of guys that we’re trying to work into that spot. … (Bona) is probably going to be more of the five. He’s going to play down toward the basket, rim protect and things like that. There’s certainly some drives and dump-offs to him … that are high-percentage plays. I like that part. He’ll help the rebounding, he’ll help the rim protection. We’ll see how it goes.”’

Bona brought his typical shot swatting to the scrimmage and stared down Johni Broome after denying the rookie a dunk. He’s pleased at the prospect of playing next to Embiid. 

“I think it brings another dynamic to the team,” Bona said. “It’s going to bring a huge amount of size and presence in the paint.” 

While Bona measured a tad over 6-foot-8 without shoes at the NBA draft combine, he indeed plays much bigger. The UCLA product’s wingspan is a shade under 7-4. He posted a 40-inch maximum vertical leap at the combine and sure seems to have added to that. 

Of course, most Sixers projections ride on Embiid’s health. He scrimmaged Sunday, moved smoothly and scored plenty. 

The Sixers have avoided timelines in discussing Embiid’s return from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The scrimmage was his first live action in front of a crowd since Feb. 22. 

“I knew this would be the first time you guys had seen him for a long time,” Nurse said. “I don’t know how many weeks this is now — I’m losing track — but he’s been out there playing. Again, just trying to continue to progress. 

“Today was a good progression day. Lots of running, lots of 5-on-5, lots of early practice stuff, lots of 5-on-0. …  And then he went out there and did his thing. He shot the ball well, he scored well, he orchestrated the offense well. I thought he ran pretty good as well — both directions.”

Bona would love to see all of that translate to games. When the Sixers drafted him, he envisioned frontcourt minutes with Embiid.

“I’ve been working toward that,” he said, “and I’m really excited to see how that’s going to look.”