The goaltender is arguably the most important position in hockey. It is believed that without a great goalie between the pipes, a team has little chance of winning silverware, let alone hoisting the Stanley Cup.
All netminders start somewhere. Some are excellent right out of the draft, but many goaltenders need time to develop before they make it to the big stage. Here is a list made up of goaltenders who had a great 2024-25 campaign in the AHL and have a decent chance of earning multiple games in the NHL in this upcoming season.
Jet Greaves, Cleveland Monsters
Jet Greaves had a stellar season with the Cleveland Monsters last season in the AHL. In 40 appearances, the 24-year-old recorded a .920 save percentage and a 2.62 goals against average. He showed out to be one of the best goalies in the league last year.
Even in the post-season, despite a second-round exit for the Monsters, Greaves put up solid numbers - a .912 SP and 2.67 GAA.
All signs point in the direction of Greaves taking on a big role with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL. To conclude the 2024-25 season, he played five straight games for the Blue Jackets. The Cambridge, Ont. native finished all those contests with a save percentage of .950 or higher, including two shutouts.
Leevi Merilainen, Belleville Senators
Leevi Merilainen is another goaltender who is set to become an NHL regular this season. In the off-season, the Ottawa Senatorssigned Merilainen to a one-year deal worth $1.05 million. His brief time in the NHL last season, as well as his AHL campaign with the Belleville Senators, put him on this path.
With Belleville in his second full AHL season, Merilainen recorded a .913 SP and a 2.37 GAA, along with four shutouts. In his 12 NHL appearances, the Finnish netminder registered an 8-3-1 record, earning a 1.99 GAA and .925 SP.
Now, with former Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg with the Los Angeles Kings, Merilainen has a wide-open opportunity to become Ottawa’s full-time backup.
Matthew Murray, Milwaukee Admirals
The Milwaukee Admirals’ goaltender Matthew Murray is coming off his third full season in the AHL. He had a great campaign, recording a 2.07 GAA and a league-leading .932 SP. His performances last season should be enough to draw the attention of the Nashville Predators in his first year with the organization.
Murray, 27, has spent the previous three years in the Dallas Stars’ system before the Predators signed him to a two-year, $1.55-million contract ahead of last season. He played four total NHL games with the Stars, but hasn’t featured in The Show since his 23-save shutout against the Minnesota Wild on Jan. 8, 2024.
Justus Annunen is Nashville’s current backup goalie. He is the measuring stick for Murray, and his biggest competition if he wants to make the Preds’ lineup.
Carl Lindbom, Henderson Silver Knights
Carl Lindbom is the only netminder on this list who hasn’t featured in the NHL. Lindbom was a rookie in the AHL with the Henderson Silver Knights. The 22-year-old played 36 games, putting up a .912 SP and a 2.65 GAA.
The Vegas Golden Knights drafted the Stockholm native in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. Since then, he’s spent multiple years in his home country, playing in the Swedish League. Before last season’s campaign with the Silver Knights, Lindbom played 26 games for Farjestad, recording a 2.12 GAA and .911 SP with two shutouts along the way.
It’ll be challenging for Lindbom to sneak his way onto the Golden Knights’ roster after just one season in North America. However, Akira Schmid, who is projected to be Vegas’ backup goalie next season, also featured in the AHL last year. Schmid played 30 games, registering a .886 SP and 3.58 GAA, making Lindbom’s numbers look even better.
This is what teams fear when their players lace it up for their home country.
Washington Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly has undergone surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb, which he suffered while playing for France at EuroBasket. Recovery from the surgery will likely have Coulibaly out for the start of the regular season.
Wizards guard/forward Bilal Coulibaly underwent a surgical procedure today in New York City to repair a ligament tear to his right thumb. The injury was sustained during FIBA Eurobasket play with the French National Team.
Coulibaly isn't the only Wizard who was injured playing for France at EuroBasket, center Alex Sarr also had to leave the tournament after injuring his calf. France, the silver medal winners just a couple of years ago at the Paris Olympics, was eliminated from EuroBasket after an upset loss to Georgia in the round of 16.
Coulibaly is part of a young core with potential in Washington, and last season he averaged 12.3 points and five rebounds a game. While he brings some defense and playmaking to the table, Coulibaly needs to be a more efficient shooter to really make a mark — he shot just 28.1% from 3 for the Wizards last season, and that didn't appear to improve over the summer as he was 3-of-14 from beyond the arc at EuroBasket.
Missing training camp and the start of the season is not ideal for a developing young player, but once healthy and able to return to the court Coulibaly will get plenty of run and opportunity as the Wizards try to grow their young core.
Jonas Vingegaard adds four seconds to overall lead
Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen sprinted clear at the end of stage 19 to seal his third win at this year’s Vuelta a España on Friday while Jonas Vingegaard added four seconds to his overall advantage over Joño Almeida.
After 160km of relatively flat riding in west central Spain, Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Philipsen burst to the front near the finish and never looked like being caught. Denmark’s Mads Pedersen was the first to make his move but could not hold off Philipsen and he crossed the line in second place with Venezuela’s Orluis Aular third.
PITTSBURGH — Marc-Andre Fleury is ending his NHL career back where it began.
The veteran goaltender, who officially retired last spring following a 21-year career, signed a professional tryout contract with the Penguins on Friday and is going to suit up for the club during Pittsburgh’s exhibition game against Columbus on Sept. 27.
The 40-year-old Fleury was taken No. 1 overall by the Penguins in the 2003 NHL draft. He spent the first 13 seasons of his career in Pittsburgh, helping longtime teammates Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang win three Stanley Cups. Fleury left the Penguins after being selected by Vegas during the expansion draft shortly after Pittsburgh won the second of back-to-back championships in 2017.
“Marc means so much to our team, our fans and the City of Pittsburgh because of the person he is and the example he set,” Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas said in a statement. “The Penguins feel he and his family are most deserving of this opportunity to celebrate this full-circle moment back where it all started in front of the black and gold faithful.”
Fleury, known universally as “Flower,” was incredibly popular with both teammates and fans alike. He ranks second all-time in NHL history in victories (575) and won the Vezina Trophy in 2021 while playing for Vegas.
Yet he is most well-known for his long tenure in Pittsburgh. Fleury holds nearly every major goaltending record in Penguins history, including games played (691), wins (375) and shutouts (44).
England pulverised South Africa at Old Trafford, with Phil Salt walloping 141 not out in a record score of 304 for two
5th over: England 88-0 (Salt 32, Buttler 54) Rabada returns to the attack and is monstered down the ground for six by Buttler. Three successive fours take Buttler to a quite exhilarating 50 from 18 balls. He waves his bat to the ground, then snaps his head back to salute his late father.
The second of those three fours tempted mid-on, who dived in an attempt to take a low catch but was beaten by the dip on the ball.
Dublin would continue hosting an annual college football game through 2037 under a plan awaiting formal approval in the Irish capital, according to a report.
The Toronto Maple Leafs' top prospects are set to face off against the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators in a pair of rookie games this weekend. Following the team’s second day of on-ice preparation, we have a clearer sense of what the lines will look like, as reported by our own Nick Barden.
On the defensive end, the top pairing will feature Ben Danford skating alongside Noah Chadwick. The rookie tournament is a crucial opportunity for these young players to make a strong impression and earn a spot at the main training camp, which begins next week. The competition will be fierce, with players like Danford and Chadwick looking to prove they can play at the next level.
The Maple Leafs also focused on special teams during Friday's practice. Forward Miroslav Holinka and defenseman John Prokop joined the top unit, showcasing the team's depth. Toronto signed the 19-year-old Holinka to a three-year entry-level contract after his strong performance at development camp this summer. The 23-year-old Prokop was also signed in March to a one-year deal following his season with Union College in the NCAA and even played three games with the Marlies last season.
Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and the rest of the Dodgers lineup increased their production this week. But, Betts admits, "for a little while, we were having just some bad at-bats." (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
To Andrew Friedman, something like this was a virtual impossibility.
“If you had said that we would have a six-week stretch where our offense would rank 30th in baseball, I would have said there was a zero percent chance,” the Dodgers president of baseball operations said last month.
“I would have been wrong,” he quickly added.
Over a five-week stretch from July 4 to Aug. 4, the Dodgers inexplicably ranked 30th (out of 30 clubs) in scoring. And though they’ve been slightly better in the five weeks since, questions about their supposed juggernaut lineup still abound.
In the first half of the season, the Dodgers boasted the best offense in the majors, leading the majors in scoring (5.61 runs per game), batting average (.262), OPS (.796) and hitting with runners in scoring position (.300) and went 56-32 over their first 88 games.
Since then, however, everything has flipped.
It started with a July slump that was as stunning as it was unforeseen, with the Dodgers averaging just 3.36 runs in a 25-game stretch commencing with Independence Day. Since then, there have been only marginal improvements, with the Dodgers entering Friday ranked 24th in scoring (4.21 runs per game), 25th in batting average (.237), 18th in OPS (.718) and 22nd in hitting with runners in scoring position (.245) over their last 58 games — a stretch in which they've gone 26-32.
“Not scoring runs,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said last week, “it's just not who we are.”
On the surface, the root causes seemed rather obvious. Much of their lineup was either on the injured list or scuffling in the wake of previous, nagging injuries. Healthy superstars were grinding through flaws with their swings. What little depth they had failed to compensate.
To that end, the team is hopeful it has turned the page.
Shohei Ohtani, after a midseason lull, is back to his MVP-caliber norms. Mookie Betts is back to looking like himself at the end of an otherwise career-worst season. Max Muncy and Tommy Edman have returned from injuries, providing the batting order with much-needed length. Significant playing time is no longer going to the likes of Buddy Kennedy, Alex Freeland, Estuery Ruiz or any of the other anonymous faces that populated the clubhouse during the campaign’s darkest days.
“Our lineup, our team, looks more whole,” manager Dave Roberts said this week. "I think that we've all been waiting for our guys to come back to health, and see what we look like as the ballclub that we had all envisioned.”
Still, when asked whether the Dodgers’ second-half slump could just be pinned on personnel issues, Roberts and his players said it wasn’t that simple.
The Dodgers might not have been whole. But they weren’t doing fundamental things — like stressing opposing pitchers, driving up pitch counts, or executing in leverage situations — either.
“We'd lost sight of playing the game the way we're capable of playing,” Roberts acknowledged.
“For a little while,” Betts added, “we were having just some bad at-bats.”
This is the dynamic the Dodgers have honed in on fixing, hoping to turn their summer-long frustrations into a valuable learning experience as October nears.
In recent days, a renewed and deliberate emphasis has been placed on the importance of competitiveness at the plate. Daily hitters’ meetings have included film sessions reviewing situational at-bats from the previous night. In-game dugout conversations have centered on a more basic message.
“It’s more about your approach, your plan,” Freeman said. “That’s been the focus.”
This week, the team took what it hopes are important first steps, ambushing the Rockies with seven- and nine-run performances in which they advanced baserunners, capitalized on scoring opportunities and built the kind of big innings that been missing over the two months beforehand.
“We said a few games ago, ‘This needs to be like how we focus for the playoffs,’” Freeman said. “Focus on the little things that help win games.”
The Dodgers, of course, have seen what a broken offense looks like before.
And they know what happens when it doesn’t get rectified before the playoffs.
Late in 2022, as co-hitting coach Aaron Bates recalled this week, the team slipped into bad habits while nursing a massive National League West lead: “It felt like that whole month of September was swing camp, or spring training,” he said, “in the sense of guys working on their swings individually too much, as opposed to playing the game in front of them.”
The results then were costly: A four-game NL Division Series elimination to the San Diego Padres in which the Dodgers repeatedly failed with runners in scoring position.
The next year was more of the same: The team losing its identity while coasting down the stretch, before being swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in three listless games.
Last season, the Dodgers finally avoided such pitfalls. They batted .278 with runners in scoring position during their postseason run to the World Series. Their tying and go-ahead runs in the Fall Classic clincher came on a pair of productive at-bats in the form of sacrifice flies.
The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani has showed his MVP form in recent games, homering twice in Sunday's win against the Baltimore Orioles. (Eric Thayer / For The Times)
But this summer, after a first-half outburst that met every lofty expectation of their $400-million roster, more troubling patterns began to resurface again.
Betts’ slow start devolved into a career-worst slump, bottoming out with a .205 average during July. Freeman began to fade right alongside him, with his .374 season average at the end of May plummeting to .292 less than two months later. Edman and Teoscar Hernández struggled after returning from first-half injuries. Michael Conforto never found his footing while Andy Pages endured an extended sophomore slide.
When coupled with Muncy’s prolonged absence — he missed 48 of 56 games because of a knee injury and oblique strain — the Dodgers suddenly had a lineup of players either grinding to rediscover their swing, or struggling to make up for the firepower they were missing.
And as easy scoring dried up, their inability to work consistent “team at-bats” quickly became magnified.
“It happened incrementally, every day, little by little,” Bates said. “Where it’s like, you’re a little off, you want to see what’s wrong with your swing, and you don’t realize that it snowballs. Before you know it, you’re thinking so much about your swing, you’re off of the situations out there.”
It was a problem, Bates insisted, borne of good intentions. Most of the roster was battling swing flaws. Too much daily energy was spent on players trying to individually get their mechanics right.
It led to mindless swings that were wasted on bad pitches. It caused scoring opportunities to carelessly, and repeatedly, go frustratingly by the wayside.
“Guys just got so internal with their mechanics,” Bates said, “they weren’t able to shift their focus once the game starts to just competing in the box.”
Bates started sensing the trend while watching the team from afar, gaining a different perspective during a two-week medical absence in early August to address blood clots in his leg.
In the clubhouse, players began voicing similar observations after particularly puzzling offensive performances in recent weeks.
“I feel like a lot of swings that we took today weren't really good swings to get on base,” veteran infielder Miguel Rojas said after the Dodgers managed only one hit in six innings against Padres left-hander Nestor Cortes on Aug. 23. “We know we're more than capable of putting up better at-bats and more hits together to create some traffic.”
“We individually are trying to find ways on our own to make sure that we’re just hitting better than we are,” Ohtani echoed, through an interpreter, after the Dodgers’ one-run performance in a series opener in Baltimore last weekend. “But I think the side effect of that is, we’re a little too eager, and putting too much pressure on ourselves.”
Thus, this week, the team endeavored to make changes.
In their daily pregame hitters’ meetings, the club has started holding what fellow co-hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc described to SportsNet LA as “NFL-style” film sessions; in which players were asked to review situational at-bats from the night before, and analyze their ability to execute their plan of attack.
“The game rewards you for having those ‘team at-bats,’ ” Bates said. “So you just preach to them by holding each other accountable, talking about them after the fact, not shying away from it.”
Freeman added that, in the dugout, players have also made an effort to emphasize that message among themselves.
“Don’t get upset because your swing didn’t feel good,” he said. “Like, if you go 0-for-four but move a runner over four times, that’s a great game for us. It might not be for your stats. But you gotta throw that out the window. That’s what we’ve been trying to clean up.”
The hope is that this renewed focus will naturally help hitters sync up their swings.
On Monday night, for example, Betts moved a runner to third base with a fly ball in the sixth inning, before coming back to the plate and roping a tie-breaking two-run single with two outs in the eighth.
“He said it in the hitter’s meeting [the next day],” Freeman relayed, “how that little positive thing of moving [a runner] over helped him build confidence going into his next at-bat.”
Little moments like that, the Dodgers hope, will help kick-start their offense as they come up on the playoffs. They might not have been able to envision the struggles of the last two months. But now, between better health and improving at-bat quality, they finally see a way to fix their ailing offense.
“Now, we're at least having good at-bats, getting a walk, extending innings, finding ways to manufacture runs,” Betts said.
“I do think that presently, the guys are engaged,” Roberts added. “Guys are playing as one right now."
The New York Rangers have signed defenseman Andrej Sustr to a professional tryout contract.
Sustr hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2021-22 season, as he has spent the last three years playing in Europe in various leagues.
Through his eight seasons in the NHL, Sustr played for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Anaheim Ducks.
In 361-career NHL games, the 34-year-old defenseman has recorded 11 goals, 58 assists, and 69 points.
Sustr joins forward Conor Sheary as the two players to be signed to a PTO by the Rangers. Both players will compete at training camp to make the Blueshirts’ opening-night roster.
Gameplay wise the L2/LT glitch, hip check, and reverse hitting have had their power reduced and can no longer be exploited.
The number of X-Factors have been drastically reduced and it is now easier to see when an ability is active.
Over 80 new goalie animations have been added along with new player reactions.
ICE-Q 2.0 looks to incorporate real-life tendencies into the game using NHL EDGE data.
Changes to Be A Pro include the introduction of the World Junior Championship, the ability to be sent down to the AHL, new cutscenes , cinematics, and voice acting, and more impactful conversations.
Changes to HUT include the introduction of a new ranked ladder system, offline Cup Chase, new UI, more content and more rewards.
Berkly Catton is entering his second rookie camp and training with the Seattle Kraken, but this time around, his intentions are greater, hoping to earn a roster spot.
It will be a challenging task for Catton, as the Kraken lineup appears to be fairly set, but the 19-year-old has a skillset rivalled by few players.
Last year at training camp, Catton had hopes of making the team, but knew it was a long shot and was trying to take everything in, watching and picking the brains of several veterans on the roster. This year, he's put in real work in the off-season, with serious intentions of being on the Kraken's opening night roster.
"Last year with the draft and all that stuff, it's a really short summer, it goes by quick," said Catton when asked what a successful September would look like. "There's not as much time to just settle down and work on getting a little stronger and a little bigger. I think this past summer, I spent lots of time doing that and working on little aspects of my game. I'm feeling really confident. Coming into this September, it's just about putting my best foot forward and showcasing myself the best that I can."
The eighth overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft stands 5-foot-10, 179 pounds. Although it can be considered undersized in today's game, Catton is aware of the need to be stronger. Adding muscle to his frame will allow him to improve on elements outside of his skating and puck skills.
"It kind of just ties into winning stick battles and stuff like that," said Catton. "I think this summer I was skating with lots of NHL guys, so it's a different kind of breed going into the corner with an older guy versus a guy in the Western League, so I think just learning how to use my body properly and the strength I have gotten. Use that in the corners and come out with the puck."
Those aspects of Catton's game are always important, but now, possibly more than ever, are they important to the Kraken. Coach Lane Lambert is proud of his defensive system and his ability to get his players to buy into it. Lambert won't care if Catton was a top 10 pick or went undrafted; effort on the defensive end is a must. Avoiding being physically outmatched by his opponents will go a long way for him.
The confidence with the puck and in his body to compete with NHL players are key factors, but Catton now feels like there isn't an adjustment period heading into camp. The Saskatoon, Sask. native felt star-struck sitting next to players like captain Jordan Eberle, but now, he's looking at them as peers.
"I think the first time when you see all the NHL guys, it's kind of like a wow factor, your idols like Jordan Eberle and all of a sudden you're sitting beside him before a game, so I think this year, that kind of aspect is ruled out a little bit," said Catton. "I understand what it's going to be like, I know the guys a little bit more, so I think there's more confidence in that sense."
Catton will play the 2025-26 season in the NHL or back with the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL. Catton feels that he's proved everything he needs to in the Western Hockey League and is ready for the next step in his career, but earning that right will be no small feat.
The Knicks have added quality point guard depth in a deal with former Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon. However, to keep him another move — possibly a trade — has to happen.
The Knicks and Brogdon have agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN via Brogdon's agent, and has since been confirmed by multiple other reports.
Brogdon, 32, is entering his 10th NBA season and averaged 12.7 points and 4.1 assists with the Wizards. Plus, he is a career 38.8% shooter from beyond the arc. New Knicks coach Mike Brown will want to lean into that shooting and Brogdon's playmaking skills — he was the Sixth Man of the Year in 2023 — in a point guard rotation behind Jalen Brunson with Miles McBride.
This signing comes one day after the Knicks signed wing Landry Shamet to a contract. The problem for New York is that it is hard capped at the second apron of the luxury tax and is up against that number — it can't keep both Shamet and Brogdon as the roster is currently constructed.
First, the Knicks likely will be patient heading into training camp to make sure Brogdon is healthy — he played just 24 games in Washington last season and has played in less than 40 for three of the past four seasons. If he is not, this is a non-guaranteed contract and a cruel business.
However, the expectation is that the Knicks will make a trade, moving one of the other guaranteed contracts on the roster, to clear out the space to keep both Brogdon and Shamet, something suggested by the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. This has the vibes of already being in the works because Brogdon had options and he wasn't going to take a non-guaranteed offer — even from a contender like the Knicks — over guaranteed money unless there was an understanding he wasn't going anywhere. New York doesn't have to rush into a move, they can make it during training camp, but something is coming.
With that, expect Brogdon to be a Knick on opening night.
