It was an eventful handful of months for new Montreal Canadiens forward Joe Veleno.

At the 2025 NHL trade deadline, the Detroit Red Wings traded Veleno to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith. He was then traded by the Blackhawks in June to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for Andre Burakovsky. Yet, just one week later, the Kraken bought out Veleno, making him an unrestricted free agent (UFA). From there, he signed a one-year deal with the Canadiens. 

Now, being on his fourth team in a calendar year, Veleno will be looking to put together a bounce-back season with the Canadiens in 2025-26. If he does, it could help his chances of landing another contract with the Habs after this one. 

Recent Canadiens News 

Canadiens’ Demidov Steals The Show Despite Loss

Canadiens: Suzuki On New Arrivals

Canadiens: Pair Of Rookies Ready To Fill The Void In Montreal

During the 2024-25 season with the Red Wings and then Blackhawks, Veleno recorded eight goals, nine assists, and 139 hits in 74 games. Overall, it was a bit of a down year for the 2018 first-round pick, but there is reason to believe that he can make more of an impact for the Habs this upcoming campaign.

Just back during the 2023-24 season with the Red Wings, Veleno set career highs with 12 goals, 16 assists, 28 points, and 108 hits in 80 games. If he can get his offense back up to these totals while being solid defensively, he could end up being a strong pickup for the Canadiens' bottom six. 

It will now be interesting to see what kind of season Veleno can put together for the Canadiens. There is very little risk in the Canadiens giving him this great opportunity. 

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2025 Off-Season Winners & Losers - Sept. 5 2025 - Vol. 79 Issue 2 - Ryan Kennedy

WHILE JULY 1 IS always a holiday north of the border, it has become a dual celebration over the past two decades or so thanks to NHL free agency, which happens to fall on Canada Day. It’s a whirlwind of activity if you happen to work in the industry, but when the dust settled on that first day of action, it became quite apparent that the ground really hadn’t shifted that much around the NHL landscape. There was definitely a feeling of “Did anything really happen today?”

Sure, there were signings, but a lot of them were re-signings, with teams choosing to extend the talent they already knew instead of venturing out into the unknown. There was a blockbuster trade in the lead-up to July 1, when the Toronto Maple Leafs sent Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade – but that was all done before free agency officially opened.

The obvious answer for this development is the salary cap. The NHL had announced in January that the cap was going up by $7.5 million – to $95.5 million – and would continue to go up in the coming years, giving teams more room to keep their own assets. And if you were a pending free agent, the pull of big dollars elsewhere was now mitigated by the fact you could get a fat cheque from the team you already played for, thus staying in a city you’re familiar with in a dressing room you’re already comfortable in.

This made the free-agency board a lot less star-powered than first thought. Obviously, Marner was off the market, while Brock Boeser followed when he re-signed in Vancouver. Nikolaj Ehlers was the biggest name to change addresses, going from Winnipeg to Carolina, but he didn’t have a lot of company behind him. Heck, the Stanley Cup champions didn’t even get raided. No one thought the Panthers could keep Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand, yet Florida GM Bill Zito got it done. Success and sunshine will do that.

Even so, some teams did better than others. We’ve already mentioned Florida, but who were some of the other winners of the off-season? We picked four teams that understood their assignments and put themselves in positive positions. On the other hand, we also had to pick on four franchises that didn’t do enough (or did the wrong things) and could be in for painful campaigns. Here’s a look at our annual summer winners and losers.

NIKOLAJ EHLERS

CAROLINA

HURRICANES (+825 to Win Stanley Cup, +400 to Win East, +120 to Win Division)

THE HURRICANES WERE REPORTEDLY IN THE hunt for Mitch Marner, but they still ended up with the second-biggest name available, so, of course, they land in the win column. The Hurricanes were already one of the best teams in the East, and now they’ve added some more scoring punch in erstwhile Jets left winger Nikolaj Ehlers. While not every player can adjust to Carolina’s systems under coach Rod Brind’Amour, Ehlers has the advantage of coming from another systems team in Winnipeg, so he will have a leg up. Elsewhere, the Canes replaced defenseman Brent Burns (who signed in Colorado) with K’Andre Miller – acquired via trade with the Rangers. Miller is substantially younger than Burns, and while they’re not the same type of blueliner, Miller is a fine replacement at this point in his career.

While we’re focused on the short term here, it’s important to note how GM Eric Tulsky has set Carolina up for the future as well. Thanks to several recent contract extensions (including an eight-year pact with Jackson Blake), the entire Canes core is locked up through 2026-27, with no one making more than Sebastian Aho’s $9.7 million per year.

COLE CAUFIELD & NOAH DOBSON

MONTREAL

CANADIENS (+2200 to Win East, O/U 90.5 Regular Season Pts)

BY PARLAYING A SIZZLING SECOND HALF into a playoff spot, the Canadiens pushed their timeline forward, and GM Kent Hughes rewarded his charges by swinging a blockbuster deal at the draft, acquiring a top-pair defenseman from the Islanders in Noah Dobson. Though the price was two first-rounders, Montreal is in no need of youth. The Habs’ pipeline is already full and has borne significant fruit in the form of Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov, to name just a couple of the burgeoning stars. Speaking of Hutson, he’ll get a boost from the presence of Dobson, who can also move the puck with aplomb, providing cover for the youngster as he continues to acclimate in his second NHL season.

Hughes also strengthened his forward corps with the acquisition of Zack Bolduc from St. Louis, who took a big step as a two-way threat with the Blues last season. The price for the 22-year-old was Logan Mailloux – well worth it given the glut of defensemen already in Montreal.

While Montreal’s underlying numbers were poor last season, Nick Suzuki’s post-4 Nations Face-Off revenge tour and Sam Montembeault’s solid goaltending helped propel the team into the post-season. Now, they’ll look to build on that success – with an even better lineup.

MITCH MARNER

VEGAS

GOLDEN KNIGHTS (+800 to Win Stanley Cup, +375 to Win West)

BIG-GAME HUNTING IS WHAT THEY DO IN VEGAS, and GM Kelly McCrimmon bagged another buck with the sign-and-trade for Mitch Marner. Marner, a 100-point two-way threat who kills penalties, comes over from Toronto, where a lack of playoff success had fans at full boil. But in Vegas, Marner joins a cast that already has many champions on the roster. Sure, there will be pressure to live up to his new $12-million cap hit, but with Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Tomas Hertl also on the roster, Marner doesn’t have to be everything all at once for the Golden Knights.

The Knights bolstered the bottom six, too, with versatile center Colton Sissons, who came over with shot-blocking defenseman Jeremy Lauzon in a trade with Nashville that sent blueliner Nic Hague the other way.

The bad news for Vegas is that star 35-year-old D-man Alex Pietrangelo is pegged to miss the entire campaign due to injury, which is a significant blow to the back end. But with all the great two-way forwards Vegas employs – particularly with Marner now in the fold – there’s no reason to discount the Golden Knights as one of the NHL’s best teams and a Stanley Cup threat.

MAMMOTH ADDITION

Peterka brings another element to a Utah attack that looks less wooly and more bully.

UTAH

MAMMOTH (O/U 92.5 Regular Season Pts, Mammoth Make Playoffs -117)

HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR KEY INJURIES on the blueline last year (Sean Durzi and John Marino being the most prominent), perhaps Utah would have made the playoffs in its first year in Salt Lake City. Now officially known as the Mammoth, Utah’s team is in a better position to make that post-season charge. In acquiring right winger JJ Peterka from Buffalo, the Mammoth added a young weapon just entering his prime. Peterka had 68 points for the Sabres last year, a total that would have ranked him second on Utah behind only captain Clayton Keller. With Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley making big offensive leaps, the Mammoth’s attack is looking a lot more potent. The addition of Brandon Tanev up front will also help defensively. Simply put, the forward corps has a lot more definition now.

And bringing in Nate Schmidt and Vitek Vanecek from Florida adds two more Stanley Cup winners to the lineup while strengthening the back end and goalie depth.

MICHAEL KESSELRING

BUFFALO

SABRES (O/U 84.5 Regular Season Pts, Sabres Miss Playoffs -370)

WE TAKE NO PLEASURE IN THIS, BUT IT LOOKS like it will be another rough season for Sabres fans. Buffalo was one of the worst teams in the East last year and did not improve over the summer. Trading right winger JJ Peterka to Utah leaves a hole in the top six that young Josh Doan (who came over in the deal from the Mammoth) cannot be expected to fill right away. Big defenseman Michael Kesselring, the other part of the Peterka deal, will help the blueline, but will that be enough to help a franchise that finished bottom three in goals against last season? The Sabres signed Alex Lyon as their second goaltender to complement Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, but, again, is that enough to move the dial?

The problem for the Sabres is that they can’t just be as good or even a little better than they were last season. They need to be a lot better in order to snag a playoff spot for the first time in more than a decade. And with Detroit and Montreal improving, Buffalo’s chances in the Atlantic are daunting. Jeff Skinner’s buyout number would make him the sixth-highest-paid forward on the team right now, and that number goes up next season.

STILL WORK TO DO

Bedard’s Hawks are an underpowered bunch among the Central Division’s elite squads.

CHICAGO

BLACKHAWKS (Worst Record +200)

IN THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THE CONNOR Bedard era in Chicago, GM Kyle Davidson had busy off-seasons, bringing in veterans to help his phenom get used to the NHL. It didn’t particularly work either time, though Nick Foligno is the captain and a great voice to have in the room. This summer, Davidson was quiet – and despite the change in strategy, it still feels like a loss. Chicago is nowhere near as strong as most of its Central Division rivals, and the only hope for a shock is internal growth from the likes of Bedard, Frank Nazar, Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel.

Chicago traded Seth Jones to Florida at the deadline, so the Hawks enter the season weaker on the blueline than last year – a stunning and scary proposition. And while Jonathan Toews’ return is one of the best stories in years, it has to hurt a little that he chose his hometown Winnipeg Jets (which totally makes sense, given that connection and the fact the Jets are Stanley Cup contenders) over the only NHL team he had ever suited up for. Imagine what kind of role model he would have been for Bedard.

STEVEN STAMKOS

NASHVILLE

PREDATORS (O/U 86.5 Regular Season Pts, Predators Make Playoffs +200)

THE PREDATORS ARE IN A SIMILAR situation as Chicago, lagging behind in the buzzsaw that is the Central Division. This time last year, we thought Nashville was a winner thanks to the splashy additions of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei. Unfortunately, GM Barry Trotz had his gambit fail, as the Preds cratered in the standings and, shockingly, couldn’t score to save their lives. Nashville finished second last in the league in offense, besting only the Sharks. Stamkos and Marchessault both went from 40-plus goals with their previous teams to settling in the 20s with the Predators.

This off-season brought a lot less change, with the major headline being the trade that sent center Colton Sissons and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon to Vegas in exchange for towering blueliner Nic Hague. Does the 2-for-1 swap make Nashville better? It’s hard to find an argument that it does, unless the conditional draft pick (a third-rounder that could become a second) in 2027 that Nashville also procured in the swap turns out to be a home run. But that doesn’t help this year’s edition of the Preds, does it?

IS KANE ABLE?

Kane could bring secondary scoring to the Canucks, but there are big red flags.

VANCOUVER

CANUCKS (O/U 90.5 Regular Season Pts, Canucks Make Playoffs +115)

ON THE SURFACE, THE CANUCKS TOOK CARE OF business during the free-agent season. They re-signed Conor Garland and Brock Boeser – which was a little surprising given the organization’s sometimes rocky relationship with the scoring winger – while also inking starting netminder Thatcher Demko to a contract extension that runs until the summer of 2029. But they also lost key penalty-killer Pius Suter on the open market, not to mention bang-and-crasher Dakota Joshua and goalie Arturs Silovs to trades. Silovs was expendable thanks to the presence of Demko and Kevin Lankinen, but the loss of those two forwards will hurt Vancouver’s overall effectiveness.

The biggest wild card is Evander Kane, the hometown kid acquired from Edmonton for a fourth-round pick. Kane has those desirable power-forward traits, but he found himself on the wrong side of the line too often in the Stanley Cup final. If things go right, Kane will give the Canucks a much-needed scoring threat besides Boeser. But if they go wrong, he could also prove to be a distraction in a city that has seen a lot of drama lately.

Even if we regard Vancouver’s summer moves as neutral, keep in mind this was not a playoff team last season. And with other teams in the West improving, the Canucks will have to hope Kane is a net positive over Suter and Joshua combined.

All betting lines are from BetMGM Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly. 

Sign up with BetMGM, make a deposit, and place your first wager on any game using your First Bet Offer token. If that bet with the token applied loses, you’ll get your original stake paid back in Bonus Bets, up to $1,500! Get in the game today with BetMGM. 

Apr 16, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators celebrate the win against the Dallas Stars during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

As the 2025-26 season approaches, we’re previewing each of the Nashville Predators’ Central Division opponents.

This series will feature each team in chronological order and not their predicted order of finish in the division.

Today’s preview focuses on the Dallas Stars.

2024-25 Season By The Numbers

RECORD

50-26-6 (.646)

OVERTIME

7-4

SHOOTOUT

2-2

OVERALL

5th

OFFENSE

3.35 GPG (3rd)

DEFENSE

2.71 GAA (6th)

POWER PLAY

22.0% (17th)

PENALTY KILL

82.0% (4th)

EXPECTED GF/60

2.68 (5th)

EXPECTED GA/60

2.67 (26th)

Season Analysis

Despite a third straight trip to the Western Conference Finals, the results ended up the same for the Dallas Stars: no trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

Things unraveled for Dallas in the WCF, losing to the Edmonton Oilers in five games despite looking like the best team on paper heading into the playoffs.

Acquiring Mikko Rantanen and Mikael Granlund before the trade deadline still didn’t bring a Stanley Cup to Big D, and the Stars replaced Peter DeBoer with Glen Gulutzan behind the bench for his second stint as Stars’ head man.

General manager Jim Nill obviously saw something in Gulutzan that wasn’t present 12 years earlier, when Nill fired him in one of his first moves as GM. With captain Jamie Benn coming back on a one-year contract, Rantanen beginning his first full season in Dallas, and Jake Oettinger the obvious No. 1 netminder despite a shaky Game 5 against the Oilers, hopes are still high in Dallas.

The Stars know how to get to the post-season; they’ve treaditionally had one of the top records in the NHL during the regular season and finished fifth overall in 2024-25 with a 50-26-6 record.

It’s finishing in the playoffs that’s been the team’s Achilles heel. They simply ran out of gas against Connor McDavid and the Oilers the past two seasons.

Offense

Rantanen is clearly the top dog for the Stars when it comes to scoring. He was on fire during the playoffs, notching 22 points (9-13-22) in 18 post-season contests.

But shuttling between the Avalanche, Hurricanes and Stars clearly had an effect on his scoring last season. His 88 regular-season points were 16 less than his output the year before.

Perhaps the eight-year deal he signed with the Stars will give him the peace of mind he didn’t have in 2024-25.

Dallas lost some of their scoring punch during the off-season with the departures of Granlund, Mason Marchment and Evgenii Dadonov.

This will put more pressure on former 109-point producer Jason Robertson, who had 80 points last season and is entering his contract year. Matt Duchene (82 points) will also be counted on to keep the scoring machine running. The biggest question offensively is can the Stars keep that machine from glitching deep into the post-season.

Defense

The Stars decided not to make any big splashes defensively. While Cody Ceci left in free agency, Nils Lundkvist hopes to be back following a late-season injury.

Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley and Esa Lindell are the clear top three on Dallas’s back end, but there are question marks beyond them.

Ilya Lyubushkin, Alexander Petrovic and Lian Bichsel are younger, but need to provide some relief to the top three.

Goaltending

One position that will not be a heated competition in training camp is in net. Oettinger will be the clear No. 1 for the foreseeable future. ‘Otter’ went 36-18-4 in 2024-25 with a 2.59 goals-against average and .909 save percentage.

However, his post-season was up and down (9-8-0, 2.82 GAA and .905 SP.

Like the Stars’ offense, Oettinger needs to have some gas left in the tank for a deep playoff run. Casey DeSmith is a solid backup who is entering the second year of a three-year contract.

Special Teams

As power-play coach for the Oilers prior to his arrival in Dallas, Gulutzan had one of the NHL’s best teams with the man advantage. Neil Graham, who coached the Stars’ AHL affiliate Texas Stars, was hired to head the power-play unit in Dallas, but Gulutzan will certainly have input in that department. Dallas finished 17th on the power play last season.

Alain Nasreddine is the only assistant holdover from the DeBoer regime, and with good reason. He ran a penalty-kill unit that ranked fourth in the NHL last season.

Last Season’s Series

The Predators didn’t have much to cheer about in 2024-25, but they ended the season on a positive note with a convincing 5-1 win over Dallas in the final game.

Otherwise, the season series with the Stars was split 2-2-0. Only one of the four games was close, a 4-3 Dallas victory on Oct. 10.

2025-26 Season Series

The two clubs will first meet at Bridgestone Arena Oct. 26, followed by another in Nashville on Nov. 8. The final game will take place in Dallas Feb. 28.

The Bottom Line

Dallas may have a new coaching staff, but much of the team’s core is still intact. Therefore, the pressure of lifting Lord Stanley’s Cup for the second time in team history will remain.

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Arniel, Winnipeg A Good Match - Dec. 28 2004 - Vol. 58 Issue 18 - Jon Waldman

While the lockout continues to keep team employees out of NHL arenas, several are taking the opportunity to explore other shinny venues. One such person is Buffalo Sabres assistant coach Scott Arniel.

Arniel has been taking time during the lockout to sit in the pressbox at Winnipeg’s MTS Centre and check out American League talent. While one might expect the Kingston, Ont., native to be around the Sabres’ AHL affiliate, he has instead positioned himself where he can check out more of the players he has yet to see.

“(In the Sabres’) situation - with Rochester being an hour away-1 don’t really need to be there because we have so many staff there right now,” said Arniel, selected 22nd overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 NHL entry draft. “We have guys there at almost every practice, we have guys down there for all the games.

“So I’ve been coming to the Moose games, 2% watching some of the teams I haven’t seen in a while, getting familiar with some of the players I’ve never seen—or maybe some of the ones I’ve seen in years past and I check on their growth.”

Exclusive: Jets Goalie Prospect Domenic DiVincentiis Eyes NHL Debut in 2025Winnipeg Jets prospect Domenic DiVincentiis talks season goals with AHL All-Star Game, Calder Cup and NHL Debut in new exclusive interview with The Hockey News. 

GLORY-FILLED JUNIOR CAREER

Arniel’s junior career was glorious, as he won two Memorial Cups with the Ontario League’s Cornwall Royals and was part of Team Canada’s World Junior Championship-winning team in 1982. He started his NHL career with the Jets in 1981-82, but was dealt to the Sabres four years later. After four seasons in Buffalo, where his two-way skills helped the Sabres become one of the league’s premier defensive teams, Arniel was traded back to Winnipeg before the 1990-91 season.

Arniel’s second go-around with the Jets was shorter than his first, as he lasted only one season before being shipped to the Boston Bruins in 1991. He split the next season between Boston and the AHL, then finished off his playing career with a seven-season stint in the International League. While in the IHL, he suited up for San Diego, Houston, Utah - and finally, the Manitoba Moose, who had relocated from Minnesota a few seasons before Arniel’s retirement in 1999.

One year after he hung up his skates for good, Arniel returned to the Moose as an assistant, coach for the 2000-campaign, staying for two seasons before joining the Sabres in 200203 in the same role.

Throughout his time with the Jets and Moose, Arniel liked to call the Winnipeg Arena his office.

When the building closed last ber, Arniel was among several Winnipeg alumni who came to say goodbye to the old barn. He enjoyed the opportunity to come back and see both the Arena and some old friends from his playing days.

“I think they did a good job of going out in style,” said Arniel of the closing celebrations. “For all the players that were there, it was a great thrill for us to be back for the last game, rehash some old stories and hear some stories you haven’t thought of in a few years.”

Jets Prospect Showcase: Key Players, Lineups, Viewing Info & Preview for Matchups vs. Senators, Canadiens This WeekendThe Winnipeg Jets face off against the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators in the 2025 Prospects Showcase on Saturday and Sunday.

NEW WINNIPEG RINK

While the Winnipeg Arena was dear to the hearts of Winnipeggers, the new MTS Centre has impressed many - Arniel included. The new multipurpose facility, which Arniel feels should have been built years ago, has consistently attracted sellout crowds for the Moose since it opened.

Arniel sees the new complex as a big attraction for Winnipeg.

“I love it,” he said. “I think it’s 15 years too late, but they’ve done a tremendous job here and I think that it has really put a buzz on around the city. I think everybody is excited about the rink…(the ownership) group went all-out and they made sure they did this first-class.

“It was sad to see (the Winnipeg Arena) go, but when you come into a building like this, you sort of forget it pretty quick.”

Moose Defenseman Dawson Barteaux Eyes Full-Time Role With Hometown Team in 2025Manitoba Moose Defenseman Dawson Barteaux aims for a full-time role in third season with his hometown team. 

EAST MEADOW, NY -- Former Montreal Canadiens forward and current New York Islanders forward Emil Heineman spoke with us for the first time at Anders Lee's Jam Kancer in the Kan event on Saturday. 

The 23-year-old is coming off his rookie NHL season, a tale of two halves after a car accident in Seattle put a damper on a productive start to his NHL career. 

Heineman had 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points in 37 games before just one assist over the final 25 games -- he added one goal in their five-game playoff series against the Washington Capitals. 

Emil Heineman Profile & ProjectionMathieu Darche’s first major move as GM of the New York Islanders was trading defenseman Noah Dobson, with the package centered around two first-round picks.

The Swede is really excited to be on Long Island. Here's our interview with one of the newest Islanders:

Q: What was your reaction when you found out you were traded?

Emil Heineman: "My agent called around five o’clock Swedish time, because there had been some rumors going around. He just wanted to give me a heads up. I was like, 'Alright.' I actually went to a soccer game back home, and during that time, I started checking out New York a little bit—where everything is. But then I had to remind myself, 'Hey, it hasn’t happened yet,' so I calmed down. When they finally called, I was like, 'Alright, here we go.' I saw it on Twitter too, so I kind of knew it was coming. But once it happened, I was really excited. It’s a new adventure for me and my girlfriend, so we’re both looking forward to it."

Q: Mathieu Darche said you had to be included in the deal. What does it mean to know he wanted you?

Heineman: "Obviously, it means a lot to me to have that kind of confidence shown in me. It makes me even more excited to be here. Like I said, I’m really looking forward to it."

Q: Looking back, how do you reflect on last season?

Heineman: "Last year, honestly, I didn’t think or even know if I would make the team. I just came into camp, gave it everything, and saw where it would take me. After a while, you start to feel more comfortable in the league. It was tough when I had that break in the middle, but overall, I’m proud of what I brought last year. I really learned how to play in the NHL, and more importantly, how to stay in the league—how to show up every day and be consistent. For this year, I’m excited to take the next step. It’s a new team and a new system, but I want to bring my 200-foot game, help the team in any way I can, and be as useful as possible.

Q: Did you know anyone on the team before coming to New York, and how has the transition been so far?

Heineman: "All the guys have been unreal. It’s been so easy to get into the group. I’ve only been here about a week, but the transition has been smooth. The only guy I’d played with before was Simon—we played World Juniors together. Having him here made things easier, just to ask for help with little things like the apartment. Other than that, Adam Boqvist is from a place really close to me, so I’ve had that connection too."

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