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For a third year, Montreal Canadiens player Juraj Slafkovsky was named the hockey player of the year in his native Slovakia. The 21-year-old might not have met his expectations in the last season, but he did well enough to catch the eye of the voters. The title is awarded each year through a voting process by the Slovak Hockey Association.

He had already won the distinction in 2022 and in 2024 when he cleaned up at the Slovakia Hockey gala, winning the Best Under 20 Player and the Best Forward award as well.

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In his third NHL season, the left winger managed to score 51 points, a one-point improvement over his second season output. The power forward spent most of the season on Nick Suzuki’s wing alongside Cole Caufield, but once again had a slow start. His play picked up later in the season as he started playing a more physical game.

In a recent interview, he mentioned that he would be satisfied if he managed to score between 65 and 70 points. This would be quite an improvement, but given the fact that the Canadiens should have a more menacing top six this season, which should take some of the pressure away from the top line, it might just be doable.

The youngster also said that he needs to stop talking about what he must do and start doing it on the ice, echoing the statements of many fans on social media. Ivan Demidov’s presence should bring some much-needed internal competition for the top line role on the left. If Slafkovsky falters, the young Russian will be ready and willing to step into the role.

In February, the winger will be heading to Milano-Cortina to represent Slovakia in the Olympics. This should be great motivation for the player, who was a standout performer at the 2022 games, having picked up seven goals in as many matches, which led his country to a bronze medal. It was that performance that caught the eye of the hockey world and helped make him the first-overall selection at the 2022 draft. The Slovaks will be hoping for another medal finish this time around, but with the NHL players being back in the fold, powerhouses like Canada and the USA should find their way back to the podium, making their task much harder.

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Recently, the NHL's official Facebook account shared their top six projections for each club in the Central Division. For the Chicago Blackhawks, they went with an interesting group of forwards. 

For the Blackhawks' first line, the NHL's account naturally has Connor Bedard at the center spot. As for the wingers, they see Ryan Donato and Teuvo Teravainen playing with Bedard next season. This trio would make a lot of sense, as they are all skilled offensive players who made up the top three in points on the Blackhawks last season. 

As for the Blackhawks' second line, NHL's account has Frank Nazar at center, with Tyler Bertuzzi and newcomer Andre Burakovsky as his wingers. Nazar being the club's 2C is expected, as he is a young forward who has the potential to become a big part of their roster. Having Nazar play with two veterans who can score like Bertuzzi and Burakovsky could certainly benefit his development. 

One Blackhawk who could also earn a spot in Chicago's top six who did not make the NHL account's projection is Ilya Mikheyev. The 30-year-old forward is coming off a strong season with the Blackhawks, posting 20 goals and a career-high 34 points in 80 games.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what the Blackhawks' top six ends up looking like at the start of the season from here. 

Former Blackhawks Prospect Joins New TeamA former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman is officially staying in the KHL. 

One of the biggest moves of the Anaheim Ducks' 2025 offseason, perhaps the biggest move, was the hiring of Joel Quenneville as the 12th head coach in franchise history.

Quenneville (66) has a sparkling resume as the second-winningest coach in NHL history and has his name engraved on the Stanley Cup three times as the head coach of the 2010, 2013, and 2015 Chicago Blackhawks.

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He hasn’t coached an NHL game since he resigned from his job as head coach of the Florida Panthers on Oct. 28, 2021, following a meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman regarding his involvement in the 2010 Blackhawks' sexual abuse case.

The NHL reinstated Quenneville, along with Stan Bowman and Al McIsaac, on July 1, 2024. He was hired by Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek on May 8, 2025, after parting ways with Greg Cronin on April 19.

As expected, the hiring faced and will likely continue to face pushback from those in the community who support the Ducks, as well as from fans around the league.

Initial criticism has seemingly dulled with time, and especially after Quenneville’s introductory press conference, where, paired with Verbeek and ownership’s (Henry Samueli) insistence upon having done due diligence, Quenneville arrived with a lengthy list of names to whom he had reached out and been educated by over the last four years regarding his missteps from 15 years ago and his continued journey of growth.

Quenneville has precedented success in his last two stops with teams in similar situations to the 2025-26 Anaheim Ducks, looking to turn the corner on their rebuild and open their playoff contention window. He took over as the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks early in the 2008-09 season, a season in which they ended their five-season playoff drought and reached the Western Conference final. The next season (2009-10), they won their first of three Stanley Cups in six years, forming the only modern-day NHL dynasty.

He was hired as the head coach of the Florida Panthers ahead of the 2019-20 season and built the foundation of today’s iteration of the organization that has been to three consecutive Stanley Cup finals and won two.

On paper, the hiring is more than logical, but Quenneville’s past has the potential to become a distraction if not properly addressed.

The other factor to consider is how NHL styles and tactics have evolved in the four years since he was last behind a bench, begging the question of whether, at 67 years old (by the start of the 2025-26 season) if the game may have passed him by.

Quenneville has stated he’s watched and studied NHL hockey every day since he was last involved in the game and has since put together one of the most elite coaching staffs with the hirings of Jay Woodcroft, Ryan McGill, and Andrew Brewer. Judging from his previous position with the Florida Panthers and how he led his staff, consisting of Andrew Brunette, Derek MacKenzie, and Ulf Samuelsson, he delegates much of the tactics and systems to his assistants. So that area may not be of much concern.

In an offseason where nine NHL coaching jobs were vacant and a wide spectrum of qualified candidates were available on the market, including Woodcroft, Rick Tocchet, Mike Sullivan, and David Carle (all of whom the Ducks at least expressed peripheral interest in), the hiring of Quenneville is bold, but has the potential for the greatest reward, so much so that the Ducks were willing to withstand any amount of backlash, completely confident in Quenneville’s growth and their process of due diligence.

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On Wednesday night, NHL Network revealed its list of the top 20 centers in the game today. The list included many of the usual suspects, particularly in the top 15. However, there is one name on the list combined with one omission that may interest Blackhawks fans.  

San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini made the list at number 19. Meanwhile, Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard was missing. The 2024 first overall pick made it, but the 2023 first overall pick fell off after appearing at number 13 last summer. 

NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) on XNot bad, kid! Macklin Celebrini makes his Top 20 Centers Right Now debut! @SanJoseSharks | #NHLTopPlayers

Celebrini, in his first season, had 25 goals and 38 assists for 63 points in 70 games played on a lousy Sharks team. That earned him a third-place finish in the Calder Trophy voting for the league's top rookie. 

As for Bedard, in his second season, he had 23 goals, 44 assists, and 67 points in 82 games played. This was his second straight 20-goal - 60-point campaign to begin his NHL career. He won the Calder Trophy for his outstanding performance during his rookie 2023-2024 season. 

It is interesting to see the love that Celebrini gets, which is well deserved, compared to the oversight that Connor Bedard gets. They are equally as productive at this stage of their careers, and neither of them is on a winning team yet. 

The guy who rounded out the top-20 list, Sam Bennett, won the Conn Smythe Trophy and a back-to-back Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers.

NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) on XThe 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy winner kicks off our Top 20 Centers Right Now list! @FlaPanthers | #NHLTopPlayers

Right now, the NHL Network believes that Celebrini is better than Bennett, which is an incredible compliment. How long before Bedard is seen as such? 

The ironic part is that Bedard and Celebrini have been skating together this summer. Lots of videos have surfaced throughout the off-season of the two practicing, looking better than ever. 

Both of them are primed to break out in the coming years. Chicago and San Jose may even be forced rivals because of these two, once they reach their peak. By then, both of these stars will be staples on this list of top 20 centers. 

Another layer to this is the Olympics. Neither Bedard nor Celebrini made it to the 4-Nations Face-Off with Team Canada, but they were both invited to Hockey Canada's Olympic Orientation Camp. They are seen as bubble players at this time, but big starts to the 2025-26 NHL season could change all of that. 

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St. Louis Blues right winger Jordan Kyrou became the subject of trade rumors this spring following his club's first-round playoff elimination.

Despite being under contract through 2030-31, some observers wondered where the 27-year-old fit into the club's long-term plans.

The speculation reached a crescendo by the NHL draft in late June, with some reports linking Kyrou to the Montreal Canadiens. However, the Canadiens instead acquired promising middle-six right winger Zack Bolduc on July 1, while Kyrou's full no-trade clause kicked in on the same day. 

Despite some reports subsequently claiming the Canadiens and other clubs remained interested in Kyrou, the trade chatter surrounding him has died off in recent weeks. 

Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reported hearing nothing specific regarding Blues trade rumors lately. However, he indicated that there were clubs still interested in Kyrou. 

That shouldn't be surprising. Kyrou is a speedy winger with three straight 30-plus-goal seasons on his resume. However, his full no-trade clause gives him complete control over his situation.

NHL Rumor Roundup: The Latest Boston Bruins Trade BuzzAfter their eight-year playoff run ended last season, the Boston Bruins made moves to bolster their roster for a bounce-back performance in 2025-26. 

Meanwhile, despite the significant increase in this season's salary cap, no RFAs have signed offer sheets thus far this summer. That seems unusual, considering notable players, such as Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish and Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi, remain unsigned. 

Some observers suggest that teams with plentiful salary-cap space lack the draft picks required as compensation for a successful offer-sheet signing. 

Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now citedPenguins GM Kyle Dubas recently telling the Cam & Strick podcast he'd received calls from clubs wanting to reacquire their second- and third-round picks in the 2026 draft. 

“And you know why,” Dubas said. “So that's their business.” He suggested he'd be willing to talk to those clubs if they offer up a fair price. 

Kingerski pointed out that the Penguins own the Blues' and Winnipeg Jets' second-rounders and the San Jose Sharks' third-round pick. 

The Blues only have $625,000 of salary-cap space, while the Jets have $3.96 million. However, the Sharks have a whopping $19.74 million available, putting them in a strong position to sign someone to a lucrative deal if they are willing to get back that third-rounder from the Penguins.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs traded away their leading scorer this summer and haven't reached the conference final in more than two decades. But that didn't stop one of the richest teams in the NHL from jacking up ticket prices.

Tickets for all 41 home games officially went on sale at 10am on Aug. 20. Immediately after, fans were furious at the exorbitant costs to see a game.

According to TicketMaster, the lowest price to see the Maple Leafs open the season against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 8 was $214.95. And that ticket doesn't even get you a seat, but instead is for "standing room only."

The most-expensive ticket, meanwhile, is $2,169.

That is, assuming you can still find tickets. According to SeatGeek, the cheapest re-sale ticket to see the Leafs play the Canadiens on opening night was $372.

Spent about 3 grand on Leafs tickets today. How was everyone elses Wednesdays???

— Leafs Truth (@leafs_truth) August 20, 2025

It gets worse.

Mitch Marner's return home to Toronto on Jan. 23 after being traded to Vegas earlier this summer has standing room tickets starting at $270. That's $250 more than the cheapest ticket for the Toronto Blue Jays, who are the second-best team in the entire MLB.

Considering how fans treated Marner in his final game in a Leafs' jersey, it's a steep price just to boo a former player.

‘That’s The Business Side Of It’: Auston Matthews Breaks Silence On Mitch Marner’s Departure From Maple LeafsBRAMPTON, Ont. — Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has made his first public the comments on Mitch Marner’s departure from the team for the Vegas Golden Knights. Matthews spoke ahead of the team’s Hockey Night In Brampton event at the CAA Centre on Wednesday.

"Sorry...Are the igh?? $250 for Standing Room tickets?? I know it's the Marner game but come on..." tweeted @spencerg49.

"What a Fu**en joke $1000 for a pair of 300 level regular season game tickets RIDICULOUS," tweeted @mnmfan.

Complain all you want, but it's not like fans are staying home. Last year, the Leafs averaged 18,829 fans per game — their highest since the 2019-20 season.

The problem is, MLSE knows every Leafs home game will be a sell out.

Until that changes, ticket prices will always rise. Supply and demand.

— Rad Treliving (@MapleLeaves34) August 21, 2025

At the same time, an affordability study from a year ago found that ScotiaBank Centre in Toronto was the most expensive arena to watch an NHL game, with a family of four spending on average "$1,029.44, the most among NHL arenas" to watch a game. On the flip side, Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa was the league's most economical, costing a family of four $479.40 to watch a game.

"yea the leafs ticket prices are actually shameful," tweeted @ninafeelz.

"Not going to a game in Toronto this year again," tweeted @IlyaMikheyevBBY.

Or, as many Toronto fans have done over the years, you could travel to a visiting city to see the Leafs play. Even with added air fare and hotel costs, you still might save money.