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As we approach September, it’s a great time to post some predictions for the 2025-26 NHL season. 

Below, you’ll see this writer’s rankings of an NHL division, the picks made in The Hockey News’ Yearbook & Fantasy Guide 2025 and BetMGM's odds of each team winning the division. We will not only argue for the rankings we made but also acknowledge why we might be wrong about each team.

Today, we’re starting the predictions series with a look at the Pacific Division.

1. Vegas Golden Knights

The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 2nd
BetMGM Pacific Division Winner Odds: 2.50 (+150)

Why I've Ranked Them First: The addition of former Toronto Maple Leafs star right winger Mitch Marner was the biggest coup of the summer, and Vegas now has one of the best playmakers on the planet. Only two teams finished higher than Vegas in our NHL summer splash rankings, and the Golden Knights once again have a stacked roster that can excel at both ends of the ice.

Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon pushed in all his chips to bring Marner aboard, and the Golden Knights – who finished first in the Pacific last season – are primed to be an even better offensive force and emerge as one of the deepest teams in the NHL.

Why I Could Be Wrong: To afford Marner’s $12-million cap hit, the Golden Knights had to move out a couple of solid foot soldiers in center Nicolas Roy and defenseman Nicolas Hague.

But the biggest blow is losing star defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who’s stepping aside indefinitely, potentially permanently, due to injury issues. The Golden Knights’ depth on ‘D’ is not as impressive as it used to be, and that could have an impact on the performance of starting goalie Adin Hill. While we’re all but certain Vegas will be a playoff team next season, they could slip down the ranks of the Pacific and be overtaken by teams like the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.

2. Edmonton Oilers

The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 1st
BetMGM Pacific Division Winner Odds: 2.70 (+170)  

Why I've Ranked Them Second: The Oilers proved to be the best team in the Pacific last season – at least, in the playoffs. 

In the regular season, Edmonton finished third in the Pacific, behind the Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings. So to argue the Oilers will make that jump to the top spot in the Pacific felt like too big a stretch from this writer’s perspective. 

Edmonton has undergone some significant roster turnover, losing veteran wingers Connor Brown, Evander Kane and Corey Perry, among others. To replace them, they’ve turned to young players, such as left winger Isaac Howard and center Matthew Savoie, but they also added Andrew Mangiapane and European free-agent David Tomasek as well. Those changes could lead to the Oilers rising higher in the Pacific standings, but it may take time for the younger players to get settled in. 

Why I Could Be Wrong: The Oilers played as well as they did despite a (relative) down season from superstar center Connor McDavid. Similarly, star left winger Zach Hyman’s goal total fell to half of what he produced two seasons ago. Getting bounce-back years from those two could elevate Edmonton to the top spot in the Pacific.

The rookies and additions could ratchet up the energy levels for this Edmonton team. The Oilers are a virtual lock to get home-ice advantage, but where they finish specifically could be a coin flip.

Oilers' Connor McDavid Has An Easy Way To Avoid DistractionsThe NHL’s biggest superstar, Connor McDavid, isn’t rushing to re-sign with the Edmonton Oilers.

3. Vancouver Canucks

The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 4th
BetMGM Pacific Division Winner Odds: 16.00 (+1,500)  

Why I've Ranked Them Third: After winning the Pacific in 2023-24, a lot went wrong for the Canucks last season. There was a reported feud between star center Elias Pettersson and center J.T. Miller, injuries to star players, such as defenseman Quinn Hughes, goalie Thatcher Demko and Pettersson, and inconsistent play from the rest of the roster. Most, if not all, of those situations have been addressed this summer.

The Canucks acquired Kane from the Oilers, but otherwise, their roster is largely the same as the one in the spring.

While the yearbook has the Canucks finishing fourth in the Pacific – and out of a playoff spot – we feel like a bounce-back year is coming for them. If they can get anywhere close to their level of two years ago, Vancouver can not only be a playoff team but leapfrog the wild-card spots.

Why I Could Be Wrong: The Canucks lost coach Rick Tocchet just a year after he won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s best bench boss. That’s not a positive sign for Vancouver. 

Meanwhile, the play of Demko when he was healthy, including an .889 save percentage, was nothing to write home about. 

The Canucks may not rise as high as we envision, but Vancouver missing the playoffs for two straight years would be inexcusable..

4. Los Angeles Kings

The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 3rd
BetMGM Pacific Division Winner Odds: 5.00 (+400)  

Why I've Ranked Them Fourth: Few teams made as many moves as the Kings did this summer.

They hired GM Ken Holland, who reshaped their roster with a slew of signings, including Perry, right winger Joel Armia, veteran defensemen Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin and goalie Anton Forsberg. Their biggest departure was defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, who went to the New York Rangers.

While Holland changed things around the edges of his roster, we now see the Kings as now being less than the sum of their parts. 

They look more like a wild-card team. That’s a step back for L.A., as the Kings finished second in the Pacific last season. There’s still lots to like about them, but they may have bigger, foundational questions to ask themselves next summer if they do as we expect. 

Why I Could Be Wrong: Holland has earned his reputation as an above-average team-builder – he was part of the Oilers’ more recent successes when he recently served as their GM – and if he’s done nothing else with this Kings roster, he’s added a bunch of experienced hands to handle the pressure to not only get into the playoffs but to actually win a round or two. That’s something Rob Blake, Holland’s predecessor as Kings GM failed to do – once they do get into the post-season.

Either way, there’s next-to-no-chance L.A. misses the playoffs next season. There’s too much talent on the roster for that.

5. Anaheim Ducks

The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 5th
BetMGM Pacific Division Winner Odds: 36.00 (+3,500)  

Why I've Ranked Them Fifth: The Ducks won 35 games last season – their most since 2018-19. But for the seventh straight season, they missed the playoffs. 

While we do like the Ducks to improve on their sixth-place finish in 2024-25, it’s going to be especially difficult for them to unseat one of the teams we’ve put ahead of them in our projected Pacific standings.

Anaheim has a new coach in Joel Quenneville and new faces in left winger Chris Kreider and center Mikael Granlund. But if they’re going to climb up the Pacific standings, they’ll need their youngsters to do the heavy lifting. We can see that happening for the Ducks, but not to the degree that would make them a playoff team in ’25-26. 

The good news is they’re likely to keep getting better, but patience is a virtue for rebuilding teams, and Anaheim fans need to be patient for a bit longer as this Ducks team cements its identity.

Why I Could Be Wrong: With talent like right winger Troy Terry, center Leo Carlsson, left winger Cutter Gauthier, left winger Mason McTavish and defensemen Jackson LaCombe and Pavel Mintyukov, the Ducks have the foundation of a terrific team. And with young No. 1 goalie, Lukas Dostal, signed to a long-term contract extension, Anaheim could sneak up on opponents and find a way to squeeze into a post-season slot.

Ducks GM Pat Verbeek has painstakingly built his team’s lineup into a competitive one, so the days of Anaheim languishing at the bottom of the Pacific are almost certainly over.

6. Seattle Kraken

The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 7th
BetMGM Pacific Division Winner Odds: 101.00 (+10,000)  

Why I've Ranked Them Sixth: The Kraken finished fourth in the Pacific in 2022-23, but they got progressively worse after that, finishing sixth and seventh in the division in the last two seasons. 

That is not a trend they wish to continue.

Seattle made major moves this summer, promoting former Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill to its GM role and replacing coach Dan Bylsma with former New York Islanders bench boss Lane Lambert.

Unfortunately for Lambert, the Kraken still have a dog’s breakfast of talent, with no truly generational players other than maybe center Matty Beniers. That’s going to keep them in the lower half of the Pacific for the time being, but we don’t see Seattle as a true bottom-feeder. 

The Kraken are still likely to be inconsistent, but as their younger players develop, they’re on the road to being an above-average team. They just won’t get there this season.

Why I Could Be Wrong: We’ve picked the Kraken to finish out of the playoff mix, but if the yearbook is correct, they’ll finish seventh again. To be fair, that is a possibility for a team that has too few needle-movers and too many middle-of-the-road players.

The Kraken are living in the shadow of another recent expansion team – the Golden Knights, which found a way to win a Stanley Cup and be a perennial mover-and-shaker. It hasn’t come nearly so quickly for the Kraken, and they may need another few years of no playoffs and high draft picks to set this team up for the long haul.

7. Calgary Flames

The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 6th
BetMGM Pacific Division Winner Odds: 36.00 (+3,500)  

Why I've Ranked Them Seventh: Calgary arguably overachieved last season. Even then, they finished fourth in the Pacific and out of a playoff spot. 

This summer, they added no one of significance while losing winger Anthony Mantha and goalie Dan Vladar. And we’re supposed to see the Flames as keeping up with the Joneses in the Pacific? Sorry, but we just don’t see it.

The Flames have potential trade chips – defenseman Rasmus Andersson chief among them – who can help out Calgary’s long-term potential by being traded this season. 

But in the short term, when you put the Flames’ roster alongside most other Pacific teams, it’s obvious that Calgary doesn’t have the depth or experience to be a true rival to the playoff contenders. That almost certainly makes them a reasonable candidate to plummet down the Pacific standings next year.

Why I Could Be Wrong: The Flames made the most of what they had last year. When you have proud veterans in the room, such as left winger Jonathan Huberdeau, center Nazem Kadri, captain Mikael Backlund and blueliner MacKenzie Weegar, you’re not going to be pure pushovers. 

So, could Calgary ride the performance of burgeoning star goalie Dustin Wolf to at least be in the conversation for a playoff berth in the West? Sure, we’re not ready to completely count them out.

8. San Jose Sharks

The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 8th
BetMGM Pacific Division Winner Odds: 301.00 (+30,000)  

Why I've Ranked Them Eighth: There’s no doubt about where the Sharks will finish. 

San Jose was 24 points behind the seventh-place Kraken last year. That should tell you how far the Sharks have to go to get back to a respectable place in the standings.

Nevertheless, we like what San Jose GM Mike Grier has been doing. He’s building a reliable winner the most proven way – by being absolutely terrible for a long span and building through the draft. While it’s going to be another long season for the Sharks, in the macro picture, San Jose is well on its way to having the core components of a long-term winner.

Why I Could Be Wrong: Let’s be honest – we may be wrong about many of our predictions, but this Sharks prediction is nearly 100 percent guaranteed to be accurate. 

Even after San Jose made veteran additions, including defensemen Dmitry Orlov and Nick Leddy, the Sharks simply don’t have the type of proven needle-movers to stay out of the Pacific basement.

Three or four years from now, San Jose may be a first-rate Cup threat. But right now, the Sharks are nowhere near good enough to even dream about the playoffs.

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The Carolina Hurricanes signed defenseman Oliver Kylington and forward Givani Smith to professional tryout agreements on Wednesday.

Kylington was most recently with the Anaheim Ducks where he played in six games. 

This past season, Kylington was traded twice. He was first dealt from the Colorado Avalanche to the New York Islanders as part of the Brock Nelson trade, and the Islanders quickly shipped him off to the Ducks for future considerations. 

In his seven NHL seasons, Kylington has played for the Calgary Flames, Avalanche and Ducks. In 220 career games, the 28-year-old defenseman has recorded 18 goals, 42 assists, and 60 points. 

Smith was also traded twice during the 2024-25 campaign. He was traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Avalanche in a deal that included Alexandar Georgiev and Mackenzie Blackwood in December. 

Right before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, he was dealt from the Avalanche to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Erik Johnson. 

In six NHL seasons, Smith has played for the Detroit Red Wings, Sharks, Florida Panthers, and Avalanche. 

Hurricanes Rank As 18th Best Team In NHL Prospect Pipeline RankingsThe Carolina Hurricanes ranked as the No. 18 team in the Athletic’s 2025 NHL prospect pipeline rankings. 

The 27-year-old forward has recorded nine goals, 13 assists, and 22 points in 168 career games.

Both Kylington and Smith will compete at training camp in hopes of earning an opening-night roster spot with the Hurricanes. 

The young core of the Philadelphia Flyers has taken an overall step forward from last year, though some rankings will leave fans scratching their heads a bit.

Led by star rookie Matvei Michkov and top 2025 draft pick Porter Martone, the Flyers jumped up from No. 13 to No. 7 in The Athletic's NHL pipeline rankings.

Martone and the 2025 draft class represented some significant additions to the Flyers' crew, though maybe too significant for some.

For instance, No. 12 overall pick Jack Nesbitt, who flashed at Flyers development camp last month, finished third overall in Philadelphia's pipeline behind Michkov and Martone.

Prospect expert Corey Pronman puts Nesbitt in the tier of "bubble top and middle of the lineup player," projecting the hulking center to become a top-six forward and, potentially, a second-line center.

That's notable, because Pronman listed the 18-year-old's skating as poor, which heavily contrasts with his NHL average hockey sense and above NHL average puck skills and compete.

Philadelphia Flyers Have a Top 5 NHL Prospect Once AgainNot long after the graduation of Matvei Michkov, the Philadelphia Flyers once again have a top five NHL prospect in their system.

As for 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko, who was a distant sixth as a middle of the lineup tier player, Pronman feels "as an average-sized player who doesn’t score a ton, it’s hard to see him as more than a third-line center currently."

Comparatively, EliteProspects gave Luchanko a glowing review in their recent ranking of the top 100 NHL-drafted prospects, bumping the 19-year-old all the way up to 30th overall on their board.

Right behind Luchanko was fellow 2024 draft pick Jack Berglund, who has generally been surging in the eyes of many with his strong play over the last 12 months. His ranking is deserved, even if Luchanko's being right next to him is a bit harsh.

Another big surprise: forward Alex Bump, whom the Flyers love and expect to push for an NHL roster spot this fall, ranked outside of Pronman's top 10 at No. 11.

Ahead of him were 2025 second-round picks Jack Murtagh and Matthew Gard.

Flyers' Porter Martone Badly Snubbed in Ranking of Top NCAA ProspectsTop Philadelphia Flyers prospect Porter Martone will undoubtedly be one of the most exciting young prospects playing in the NCAA this season, but, strangely, some would disagree.

Murtagh I can see, but Gard I cannot. Gard, for me, is likely to be a bottom-six center - probably a fourth-liner - with average scoring upside.

Pronman faulted Murtagh for having an average compete level, though that's one of the things Flyers AGM Brent Flahr liked about Murtagh the most.

That all said, the rankings get fuzzy towards the bottom of the list here.

Nikita Grebenkin, a player Flyers fans are dying to see at the NHL level sometime soon, was docked for below NHL average skating, which, in Pronman's eyes, can limit him to being a fourth-liner or depth player. He ranked 12th.

Shane Vansaghi, whose skating was graded the same, ranked eighth, even while also having below NHL average hockey sense. Pronman assessed his potential as a middle-six NHL forward.

I personally view both players as bottom-six staples with scoring potential if they find their strides at the next level(s).

Way-Too-Early Flyers Mock Draft 2026: A True No. 1 Center or More of the Same?If the Philadelphia Flyers aspire to truly take the next step in their multi-year rebuild, they must find the No. 1 center of their future and nail their first selection in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Lastly, Oliver Bonk was the only defenseman to be featured in the top 13, placing fourth overall on Pronman's list.

Recent second-round picks Carter Amico and Spencer Gill were both considered to have a "chance to play" NHL games, but as bigger guys who move well, they're projects who take a bit of time.

I'll be watching Amico more throughout the year now that he's with the Flyers organization, but Gill has already impressed me with his defensive improvements dating back to last training camp.

Pronman wants to see more defense out of Gill, and I tend to agree; that's his ticket to NHL success. But I maintain that he's a lot better than people think he is.

As an aside, Heikki Ruohonen or Alex Ciernik deserved to peter in at the bottom of the list over Samu Tuomaala, who's quickly running out of time to make an impression on the Flyers and stay healthy to do it.

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By Ryan Kennedy

When it comes to Stanley Cup stories, it’s tough to beat Seth Jones’ introduction to the final. The year was 2001, and a legend was about to receive the trophy he had always wanted.

“I was at Game 7 when the Avs won,” Jones said. “Sakic passing the Cup to Ray Bourque – there aren’t a lot of moments more special than that in this league. I was there with my family. I was six years old, so that was really the turning point not only for me but a lot of kids in Colorado in the youth hockey market there.”

Joe Sakic, of course, is literally the reason Jones got into hockey in the first place. To tell a well-worn story, Seth’s dad, Popeye Jones, approached Sakic when both were in Denver, Sakic as the captain of the Avalanche and Popeye with the NBA’s Denver Nuggets. One day, in the weight room at what was then the Pepsi Center, Popeye asked Sakic for advice on getting his three boys into hockey. The kids were into it, but Popeye was much more familiar with hoops. Seeing the size of their dad, Sakic told him to get the lads into skating lessons first, and the rest is history: both Seth and Caleb eventually became NHLers (oldest brother Justin played college hockey at Div. III Salve Regina).

Now, Seth is a Stanley Cup champion himself, helping the Florida Panthers win for the second straight year. It was a long road for the big and talented defenseman, but perhaps that’s what made it especially sweet for him after a dozen seasons in the NHL.

In an alternate universe, Sakic becomes Seth Jones' boss. After all, the Avalanche had the first-overall draft selection in 2013, and Jones was one of the best prospects available. Sakic was a senior advisor with the franchise at the time and a couple of years later became the GM. As the history books indicate, however, the Avalanche ended up taking center (and Jones’ pal) Nathan MacKinnon with that pick, and you really can’t fault them. MacKinnon brought the Cup back to Denver in 2022 and has won the Calder, Lady Byng and Hart Trophies, not to mention the Ted Lindsay Award, during his tenure in Colorado. Jones ended up going fourth overall to the Nashville Predators, and while it took a little longer, he too has become an NHL champion.

The past few years had been particularly trying for Jones. Before being dealt to the Panthers at the trade deadline, he’d been playing for a Chicago Blackhawks organization that ended up being much different from the one he thought he’d signed up to play for after a trade with Columbus in the summer of 2021. Those Hawks still had Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat and, after missing one season due to Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, Jonathan Toews. Dylan Strome and Brandon Hagel were also there, just getting their soon-to-be excellent careers started.

By the fall of 2023, however, all those players except Jones were gone. The Hawks had already become a doormat – so bad that they had earned the right to draft center Connor Bedard first overall that summer. For the first time since Kane and Toews were pups, Chicago was rebuilding. For a veteran blueliner such as Jones, it was a tough fit. He had yet to make a long playoff run in his first decade in the NHL, and by February of this season, the frustration was boiling over.

After a 2-1 loss to Utah, he vented to the media, stating his team was no better than they were at the start of the season and that they hadn’t made any strides to improve. Days later, Jones was on his way to the Panthers in a trade that saw Florida send a promising young goalie in Spencer Knight the other way, plus a conditional first-round draft pick.

“They put development first, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but being there for four years as an older guy is tough,” Jones said. “It weighs a lot on you. I was losing my hair for a bit there. But listen, I wasn’t playing the greatest hockey either. I’ll be the first to admit that. I’m happy for the change, and I feel like I’ve found a little bit of new life.”

Indeed he did. With Aaron Ekblad starting a 20-game suspension for a failed drug test, the Panthers needed someone to fill minutes, and Jones was a perfect fit.

“Yes, and a righty, which we needed,” Ekblad said. “He is incredible, and I remember being giddy when we got him. He’s so good, and he’s a friend – I played with him on Team North America (at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016). He’s a good person and a guy we knew would fit well. He’s everything we needed.”

In 21 regular-season games with Florida, Jones averaged nearly 25 minutes of ice time, all while still getting adjusted to his new team, which also happened to be battling a spate of injuries at the time.

“He’s been great,” said left winger Carter Verhaeghe. “He’s so big, with such a long reach and so good defensively. It took him some time to get used to our system, but you see the talent now. He makes so much of an impact on the ice offensively and defensively. He plays so many minutes, and they’re always good minutes. He pushes the pace.”

Structurally, Florida’s game plan was night and day from Chicago’s. “On the ice, it definitely took a couple of weeks,” Jones said. “It was really a 180 of a system from where I came from. The ‘D’ are forced to be aggressive in the system, or it doesn’t work. The gap control is key and something I really had to focus on my first couple of weeks.”

Having said that, Jones was having a ball. For the first time in years, he was playing on a team that had expectations, both internal and external. These were the defending Stanley Cup champions, the acolytes of coach Paul Maurice.

“The first day I came in, talking to Paul and walking around the room on a practice day, you could just feel something different,” Jones said. “Everyone understands their task every day, has a goal every day, and everyone is working toward something bigger than just the regular season or an individual game. Them being in the final the past two years, they understood what it took to get back here and what it takes to win. It’s special being in that environment.”

It would’ve been easy to discount the defending champs down the stretch this season. The injuries were concerning, plus the Cats had played a ton of hockey the past few years, going to the final in 2023, then winning the franchise’s first Stanley Cup last season. Three straight runs with largely the same cast? And playing in a division where they would have to play Tampa Bay and Toronto just to get to the conference final? Well, yes. A challenge to be sure, but perhaps not as daunting as it appeared to be.

True, most of the Panthers had played a lot of hockey, but the moves made by GM Bill Zito before the deadline made the team even better than it had been last season. Along with Jones, a legitimate top-pair defenseman joining an already strong defensive team, the Panthers also shocked the hockey world by acquiring Boston captain Brad Marchand. The same Marchand who had won a Cup with the Bruins, two world juniors, a QMJHL title and World Championship gold, not to mention the recent 4 Nations Face-Off with Team Canada. And in Florida, Marchand didn’t even have to play the hero. He was slotted onto a third line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen that gave teams absolute fits in the post-season.

Marchand, 37, etched his name into the history books before the final was even over by scoring in the first three games, making him the oldest player ever to accomplish such a feat.

“You want to have the best team possible, and those deals we made at the deadline, everybody brings something to the table,” said defenseman Niko Mikkola. “They’re great guys on the ice and off the ice. It brings new life to the room.”

Few players in the NHL bring as much life to a room as Marchand, in fact. For a guy who had pitched battles with the Panthers when he played in Boston, Marchand fit in seamlessly, even adding a new twist to a 30-year-old tradition in Florida. After fans had littered the ice with plastic rats following a win at home, some of the Panthers would shoot those rats at Marchand, who’d comically feign injury with every direct hit. There was also the preoccupation with ice cream and Dairy Queen runs that became part of the 2025 Cup run fable.

“As soon as he got traded here, he chirped me in the group chat instantly for our history in the last playoffs,” said Sam Bennett. “I truly don’t think we win a Stanley Cup without him. His leadership and will to win is inspiring. I told him before every game, ‘We’re going to follow you.’ And we did. He was a dawg every night. He’s a better player and person than I ever knew, and I’m grateful I got to play with him.”

For Marchand, who’d previously won the Cup with the Bruins way back in 2011, the feeling was mutual. “Once you become part of a group and get into these environments, you create such an incredible bond,” he said. “They already had an unbelievable culture that us new guys could come into and buy in, to embrace it. It made it very easy. It was definitely weird coming in initially, but they made it easy.”

Getting big performances from both Jones and Marchand was crucial to Florida’s repeat and well worth what their GM had to give up to get them.

“They came as advertised, both of them,” Zito said. “Now, I had the luxury of being with Seth in Columbus (Zito was assistant GM with the Blue Jackets), knowing what he could do, knowing him as a person, knowing first-hand how he would fit into our room and comport himself. With Brad, the whole (press) room knows. There’s no secret of what he is as a player and competitor. Getting to know him more as a human, he’s more special on that front. From that standpoint, yeah, it was really pleasant. Frosting on the cake.”

Speaking of Columbus, that’s really where Jones came into his own as an NHLer. Although he spent his first two-and-a-half seasons in Nashville with the Predators, that was a team in transition. They missed the playoffs in Jones’ rookie campaign but started on the ascent in his sophomore season. Jones was part of a monster blueline featuring Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm, and Nashville had franchise icon Pekka Rinne in net. The Preds made the playoffs but lost in the first round. The next year, Nashville and Columbus pulled off a blockbuster trade when the Predators, in need of more skill up front, dealt Jones to the Blue Jackets for center Ryan Johansen. Things got even more surreal when Jones and Johansen literally passed each other in the airport en route to their new cities, stopping for a brief and friendly chat.

In Columbus, Jones was part of one of the biggest upsets in NHL history when he and the Blue Jackets not only beat the Presidents’ Trophy winners from Tampa Bay but swept them in the first round.

“It was one of the weirdest, biggest upsets considering what Tampa did that year,” Jones said. “We just played a good four games against them. But we kind of created a monster, because they learned to win after that.”

Indeed, the Bolts ended up going to the Cup final three years in a row after that setback, winning twice, and their dominance over the Eastern Conference only ended when the Panthers took over. Funnily enough, the goalie who knocked them out back in Columbus was Sergei Bobrovsky, who’s also been the man between the pipes for all three Florida runs. The veteran goalie already knew what Jones was capable of thanks to their days together in Columbus, so he was happy to be reunited in Florida.

“He’s been excellent,” Bobrovsky said. “When he came into Columbus as a young player, he was excellent. I enjoyed playing with him. He’s a very reliable ‘D,’ and I was so happy and excited when he joined us this year. He’s a pro on and off the ice. Everybody loves him. He’s a great guy.”

Having familiarity with Bobrovsky also meant that Jones had confidence in the situation he was entering when he joined the Panthers.

“He’s the same ‘Bob,’ ” he said. “I know I haven’t played with a guy who has better preparation day in and day out. He knows exactly where he’s at physically and mentally to be the best he can be. We’re blessed to play in front of him, and we have complete trust when he’s in the net.”

For the other members of the Panthers, they were similarly happy to see Jones on their side of the ice after years of playing against him. “It’s not fun,” Bennett said. “He’s big. He skates well. He moves the puck well. Trying to get by him is really difficult with his long reach and his big stick. It was definitely always difficult playing against him, and now that he’s on our team, he seems to have elevated his game even more.”

In the Cup final, the Oilers found out that lesson the hard way. It took a team effort in Florida to minimize the contributions of Edmonton superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and Jones did his part. In 45 minutes of 5-on-5 play during the series, the Panthers outscored the Oilers 4-1 when McDavid and Jones were both on the ice and 4-3 in the 46 minutes when it was Jones and Draisaitl.

And just like he did in his regular-season games with Florida, Jones was a minute-muncher for the Panthers. In the end, he led the playoffs in ice time, playing more than 586 minutes, including nearly an hour of shorthanded shifts and half an hour of overtime duty. Jones averaged 25:30 overall, putting him third behind Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard and Dallas’ Thomas Harley among those who played at least 15 playoff games. He also popped in four goals and nine points.

“This guy is a Norris Trophy candidate all day long,” Maurice said. “He’s just special. It was the perfect environment for him. The camera’s not on him all the time. And I’m not disrespecting his other organizations. They were just on a different curve. Those elite guys on those teams carry a lot of pressure. He can walk into the room, and his partner is Niko Mikkola? We’re gonna be OK here. Just play, and enjoy it. We’re just starting to see how good he is.”

As the Panthers try for a dynasty with a fourth straight appearance in the final next season, Jones will play just as big a role, if not bigger.

Even with all the reasons players have to stay in Florida, that pesky salary cap could force some difficult decisions for management and the potential free agents themselves. Bennett, coming off the Conn Smythe Trophy and a league-leading 15 goals in the playoffs, is due for a big-time payday (maybe not the eight-figure numbers being thrown around on the internet, but then again, if a team is desperate, maybe so), while Marchand and Ekblad also need new pacts. With only $19 million available under the cap, Zito and his team have a challenge on their hands. But with Jones and Mikkola as a pair and Gustav Forsling still under contract, that back end is still going to be pretty stout no matter what happens to veterans Ekblad and Nate Schmidt.

Of course, nobody wants to talk salary cap at a time like this, so let’s go all the way back to the beginning, with Jones getting his own Ray Bourque moment as he finally got to lift the Cup after so many years in the NHL.

On the ice in the wake of Florida’s clinching 5-1 victory over Edmonton in Game 6, surrounded by reporters, cameras, friends, family and teammates (and plastic rats, so many plastic rats), Jones had an almost euphoric stare about him as he soaked it all in. He was the third member of the team to hoist the chalice, as captain Aleksander Barkov went to Schmidt first, who then passed it off to Jones.

The Panthers, many of whom had already won the Stanley Cup, made sure that players who had never gotten the chance before were the first to get this one. Even depth guys like Jaycob Megna and Evan Cormier went ahead of Tkachuk and Bennett, which became a point of pride for their coach in post-game festivities.

So what was it like going from watching Bourque get his first (and only) Cup to becoming the guy who got his first after a lot of ups and downs?

“Yeah, it’s what you dream about every day when you’re a kid, right?” said Jones, 30. “You want to have a chance to play for a Stanley Cup, and I can’t praise this organization enough. The players here, everyone loves each other. Everyone wants the best for each other, and that’s the only way this thing works.”

Perhaps somewhere in the stands of Amerant Bank Arena that night, there was a little kid with big hockey dreams who saw Jones lift the Cup and began to think about what it’d be like to live out those same aspirations two decades from now. If that kid turns out to be 6-foot-4 with great wheels and a solid two-way game, then perhaps history will repeat itself once again.

The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results. 

Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 40 NHL games. 

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#15 - Anton Wahlberg  – Forward (Rochester - AHL)

Wahlberg was the Sabres second-round pick (39th overall) at the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville. The Malmo, SWE native split time between his hometown junior-level and SHL club in his draft year, as well as playing for Sweden in the Five Nations and Under-18 World Championships. The big forward played the full year in the SHL and was linemates with Sabres 2022 first-rounder Noah Ostlund at the 2024 IIHF World Junior in Gothenburg, where he had three points in seven WJC games.

After scoring 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) in 43 games and completing the SHL campaign, Wahlberg came to North America to play with Rochester, where he fit in nicely in the AHL during his brief stint, with four points in nine regular-season games with the Amerks, and a goal in Rochester’s brief playoff appearance.

In his first full season in North America, Wahlberg finished with 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 63 games, and made a big impression on the international stage, finishing third in scoring for Sweden with eight points (4 goals, 4 assists) in seven games at the 2025 World Junior in Ottawa, but went pointless in six playoff games. 

The Sabres are looking for the 20-year-old to take a step forward offensively in Rochester, and Wahlberg should get more of an opportunity to play higher in the lineup with the turnover in the Amerks roster. 

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