The NHL's off-season rolls on, and every day brings with it more hockey talk. And in this ongoing THN.com series, we here at the Sabres site are focusing on the Buffalo Sabres' 2025-26 regular-season schedule -- and specifically, Sabres opponents who could get in the way of Buffalo's Stanley Cup playoff aspirations.

We started this series looking at the Sabres' Atlantic Division rivals, followed by the Metropolitan Division's teams. In recent days, we've been breaking down Buffalo's Central Division rivals. And today, we're focused on the Utah Mammoth.

BUFFALO SABRES VS. UTAH MAMMOTH

NEW MAMMOTH PLAYERS: J.J. Peterka, LW; Brandon Tanev, LW; Nate Schmidt, D; Vitek Vanecek, G

2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 0-2-0, Utah 2-0-0

2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER:  November 4 at Buffalo; November 12 at Utah 

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM?  For a few reasons, the Sabres/Mammoth rivalry has the potential for some good times, as both teams are connected to each other for different reasons. For starters, Utah's logo is rather similar to one of Buffalo's old logos. More importantly, one of the biggest trades of the summer saw Utah acquire Peterka from Buffalo -- and Peterka is just what the Mammoth need to get to that next competitive level.

If that trade had been all of what Utah GM Bill Armstrong did this summer, you'd still say the Mammoth had a solid off-season. But he also signed former Winnipeg Jets winger Tanev to improve his team's fourth line, and he signed Stanley Cup-winner Schmidt away from the Florida Panthers to bolster Utah's third defense pairing. 

(Armstrong also signed veteran goalie Vanecek, who will begin the year as Utah's third goalie. If he's needed, something has gone horribly awry for the Mammoth.)

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Central Edition: Are Boosted Blues Bound To Beat Buffalo?The Buffalo Sabres are facing enormous pressure to end their 14-year Stanley Cup playoff drought next season, and it's not hyperbole to say that the Sabres can't afford so much as a single off-night if they're going to be a playoff team. Every game really counts, and Buffalo needs to beat many above-average squads if they're going to earn a playoff berth in the highly-competitive Atlantic Division.

All-in-all, the Mammoth have to be considered a better team than they were last season. And that's bad news if Buffalo doesn't have its ducks in a row when the two teams square off against each other twice in little more than a single week in early November.

Indeed, if Utah comes out of the gate and stuns the Sabres in their first game November 4 in Buffalo, the Sabres will have only have eight days to figure out how to fight back for Round 2, as the Mammoth get a home game against Buffalo to finish up the series. That's somewhat of a shame, as it would've been fun to have at least one game between them near the end of the season, when it's likely that both Utah and the Sabres will be fighting for a wild card berth in their respective conferences.

Still, it's going to be intriguing to see how that first game plays out. Last season, Utah won both games handily against the Sabres, beating Buffalo by a 5-2 score in both games. And the second game in the series came March 20, when both teams should've been in hot pursuit of a playoff spot. Instead, the Sabres were well out of playoff contention by then, and Utah wound up missing a playoff berth by eight standings points. So it was more misery for franchises accustomed to it.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Central Edition: Will Buffalo Sweep Series Vs. Sub-Par Nashville Predators Next Season?The NHL's 2025-26 schedule has been out for a while now, and THN.com's Buffalo Sabres site has been analyzing every team the Sabres will take on next season. We've worked our way through the Eastern Conference teams, and we're currently focusing on the Central Division teams. And in today's file, we're turning our attention to the Nashville Predators.

It hasn't been easy for either of these teams to put memorable seasons together, and that's another reason why we see a link between the Mammoth and Sabres. They've languished and labored time and again, but as is custom at this time of year, hope springs eternal, and who knows -- there might be a world in which both Buffalo and Utah are both playing playoff games in the same season.

The Sabres can't afford to lose both games to the Mammoth this year. A split would be acceptable, and anything more than that would be a positive. But if Buffalo plays with an urgency to their game, they have the manpower to answer back for last season's failures and shock the Mammoth into submission.

Defenseman Luke Prokop, who was selected by the Nashville Predators in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft and is the first openly gay player to be contracted by an NHL team, has signed with the Bakersfield Condors, the Edmonton Oilers' AHL affiliate. 

He had reached the end of his 3 year, $2,379,999 contract.  

In his time with the Predators organization, Prokop has not played in Nashville. He played eight games with the Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) during the 2022-23 season, scoring one point in eight games. 

During the 2023-24 season, he split time between the ECHL and AHL. He played 55 games with the Atlanta Gladiators, scoring 28 points, and played nine games with the Admirals, scoring two points.

His AHL debut in Nov. 2023 marked Prokop becoming the first openly gay AHL player. 

This past season, he played 31 games with the Admirals, scoring four points. 

While Prokop has yet to make his NHL debut, his journey and message of confidence have resonated across the hockey world. Not only has he made history just playing professional hockey, but he is also helping create an accepting environment for LGBTQ+ individuals in the sport. 

Prokop got the opportunity to be the Grand Marshall of the 2025 Milwaukee Pride Parade this summer. 

The move into the Oilers' farm system could be a full circle moment as Prokop is from Edmonton and played junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings. He could become the first openly Gay NHL player to play in a game in his hometown. 

The Seattle Kraken have signed the third and final RFA on their NHL roster, agreeing to a two-year, $2.05 million contract with defenseman Ryker Evans.

The 23-year-old played his first full season up in the NHL, scoring five goals and 25 points in 73 games. Evans looked comfortable in the NHL, playing as a top-four defenseman while Vince Dunn was out with an injury and on the third pairing when the Kraken defense core was healthy. 

“Ryker took a positive step forward in his first full season in the NHL,” Kraken general manager Jason Botterill said. “Since turning pro, he's shown improvement year over year, and we're confident he'll take his game to another level next season. We're happy to have him under contract."

Evans was a second-round pick (35th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft, now skating in 109 NHL games in his career. Evans is shaping up to be a large part of the Kraken's future as they shift into a new era focusing on youth. 

Evans is a stout defender with solid puck skills that make him a dual threat. He was selected to Team Canada's World Championship roster, where he got to rep the Maple Leaf for the first time in his career. In eight games, Evans recorded two assists and a plus-6. 

With Dunn and Ryan Lindgren seemingly pencilled into the top four, it appears Evans will start the season as a third-pairing defenseman, but he'll be given every opportunity to fight for a larger role.

When they begin the 2025-26 regular season, the Toronto Maple Leafs will embark on a new chapter of their history – the post-Mitch-Marner chapter. 

While it will be painful for Maple Leafs fans to see Marner likely thriving as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, the good news is that Toronto will be moving into an era that could lead to better Stanley Cup playoff results.

To be sure, the newly rejigged Leafs won’t be making as many highlight reels now that Marner is gone. There will be fewer no-look passes setting up superstar center Auston Matthews, fewer slick moves through traffic, fewer multi-point games from a star performer. 

But that doesn’t mean Toronto will take a major step back without Marner. And truth be told, we won’t know for sure whether it’s truly a new era for the Leafs until the second and third round of the 2026 post-season shakes out.

Up until that point, the Buds are going to be honing a new style of game under second-year Leafs coach Craig Berube. With grinders like former Golden Knights center Nicolas Roy and former Vancouver Canucks left winger Dakota Joshua – and with a full season from former Philadelphia Flyers center Scott Laughton and former Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo – the Maple Leafs are going to be a more difficult team to play against, physically and defensively. 

Berube has had more of a say in the moves the Buds have made this summer, and they all point in one direction – toward Toronto becoming a more rugged and punishing squad.

Toronto Maple Leafs Changed Their DNA After AllThe Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t use all their salary cap space right as NHL free agency opened, which suggested they weren’t done yet.

But, as has been the case for many years now, the Maple Leafs aren’t going to be judged until the playoffs roll around. 

If the Leafs suffer another first-round exit, or if they fall weakly to an Atlantic Division rival in Round 2, there almost assuredly will be more big moves from Toronto GM Brad Treliving next summer because, at the end of the day, they wouldn’t have fared any better than they did during the Core Four Era.

However, for the time being, the Leafs are going to be a notably different team in the post-Marner era. But anyone who tells you Marner isn’t leaving a sizeable hole in the lineup is not being accurate. Marner was a savvy defensive performer and a crafty creator of offense. He’s going to make Vegas a considerably better team, and in many regards, Toronto will miss what he brought to the table. 

But don’t for a minute believe that, like his former Leafs team, Marner doesn’t also have a major test coming up. Indeed, if he and the Golden Knights flame out early in next year’s playoffs, all of Marner’s critics will come out of the woodwork to argue that Marner was the problem in Toronto all along. That’s probably unfair to Marner, as one player does not make or prevent a team’s success when games matter most.

Nevertheless, Maple Leafs fans definitely want to see a different type of Toronto team emerge from the ashes of the Marner Era. 

Roy, Joshua, Laughton and Carlo are all built from a similar composition. They’re not going to fill up the scoresheet night in and night out, but they can force Buds opponents to pay a heavier price than those opponents have grown accustomed to when playing the Leafs.

Is some of that trade-off leaving at least some of the blame at Marner’s feet? Absolutely. Even Marner’s most fervent supporters have to acknowledge his role in Toronto’s failure to do much of consequence in his nine years as a Leaf. And don’t kid yourself into thinking Marner is going to face less pressure to perform in the relative peace and quiet of Nevada. As Vegas’ highest-paid player at $12 million per season, Marner will have sky-high expectations to get his Golden Knights team back into championship form.

Toronto Maple Leafs' Trade Deadline Acquisitions Are Key Puzzle Pieces In 2025-26The Toronto Maple Leafs brought in new faces at this past season’s NHL trade deadline, but the first impressions varied.

Treliving has used his wealth of salary cap space to put together a Buds roster that has yearned for championship form. That gamble may pay off next spring with a Leafs team more suited to Berube’s liking and playoff action.

And if that happens, the Maple Leafs will truly have entered a new significant era. And Leafs fans will be thrilled that the Marner chapter came to an end. 

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

The Hockey News continues to discuss the NHL and more hockey topics in rapid-fire segments during August.

Will Jack Eichel Earn More Than Mitch Marner Next Year? by The Wraparoundundefined

Here's what Emma Lingan, Michael Augello and Jonathan Bailey discussed in this episode of The Wraparound:

0:00: Could the Anaheim Ducks make significant changes to their defensive core?

4:52: Which long-term contract on the Carolina Hurricanes will age the best?

8:22: Will Jack Eichel earn more than Mitch Marner in 2026-27?

13:07: Breaking down Alex Laferriere’s contract extension with the Los Angeles Kings

16:35: Where does William Nylander rank among the NHL’s best wingers?

21:51: Will Elias Pettersson reach the 100-point mark next season?

27:07: Who will be the NHL’s best goaltender five years from now?

See below for where to subscribe to the show for future episodes.

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Podbean

iHeartRadio

Amazon

The Hockey News’ NHL summer splash rankings enter the homestretch with the Vancouver Canucks in seventh place.

In this series, we’re examining every team’s additions, departures, hirings and firings to see who improved, stayed the same or got worse. We’re well in the group of teams that showed signs of improvement.

The Canucks had a disastrous season, falling from the top spot in the Pacific Division in 2023-24 to fifth in the division in 2025-26, out of a Stanley Cup playoff position. 

We noted at the beginning of the series that there are some exceptions in the rankings for teams that did significantly more or less than expected to either keep their core together or try to get upgrades. Teams such as the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings were near the bottom for not doing enough to suggest a significant step forward is coming this season, when it was pretty important for them to do so.

Vancouver earns some bonus points because they could have gotten much worse this summer and face more uncertainty in the season ahead had they not taken the actions they did this off-season.

Additions

Evander Kane (LW), Vitali Kravtsov (RW), Pierre-Olivier Joseph (D), Chase Stillman (RW), Adam Foote (promoted to coach from assistant coach)

The Breakdown: The Canucks are this high on the NHL summer splash rankings not solely because of their additions – it’s also because Vancouver GM Patrik Allvin brought back UFA right winger Brock Boeser on a contract extension with an average annual value of $7.25 million.

Star goaltender Thatcher Demko also signed a contract extension with an average annual value of $8.5 million, avoiding free agency in 2026. With Demko and backup Kevin Lankinen both under contract for the foreseeable future, the Canucks have one of the NHL’s best goalie tandems for a long time to come when they’re healthy and in form.

Allvin also delivered a contract extension for right winger Conor Garland. Although Garland’s new deal also doesn’t kick in until the 2026-27 season, with a rising salary cap ceiling, Garland’s pay raise to $6 million per year would’ve been matched by many teams. So, effectively re-signing Boeser and Garland to long-term deals is a significant victory for Vancouver management.

Meanwhile, the big-name addition for the Canucks is left winger Evander Kane, who is coming off a four-year stint with the Edmonton Oilers. Adding Kane’s edge and scoring touch should be an improvement on departing veteran winger Dakota Joshua, but Kane playing for his hometown Canucks will give him a honeymoon stage he needs to make the most of. After missing all of the last regular season and putting up 12 points in 21 playoff games, Kane would benefit from a bounce-back campaign to prove he’s still worth big bucks in the NHL.

Vitali Kravtsov returns to the Canucks after two seasons in the KHL, where his scoring surged. He had 58 points in 66 games last season with Chelyabinsk, up from 34 the year before. Those are boosts from the two points in 16 NHL games Kravtsov had after the New York Rangers traded him to Vancouver in 2023. He can be a bargain depth scorer in Vancouver if all works out.

The Canucks also promoted Adam Foote to coach after Rick Tocchet left. This will be Foote’s first time being the top bench boss of an NHL team, but Garland said he’s really excited about Foote’s promotion. Foote will try to make sure no dressing room or chemistry issues arise, like the Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller rift did last season, and distract the players and staff from focusing on winning together.

With the re-signings, additions and promotion, the Canucks improved up front and in overall vibes. So long as the injury bug and drama don’t take as big a bite out of them as it did last season, this Vancouver team should be a consistent winner. That’s more than you can say about last season’s Canucks.

Departures

Pius Suter (C), Dakota Joshua (LW), Arturs Silovs (G), Erik Brannstrom (D), Phillip Di Giuseppe (LW), Noah Juulsen (D), Rick Tocchet (coach)

The Breakdown: Vancouver’s cap crunch meant that not every Canucks player from last season’s team would return. This is why veteran center Pius Suter left for the St. Louis Blues via free agency. This is also why Allvin traded rugged winger Dakota Joshua to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In addition, with his goaltending picture now settled, Allvin traded up-and-coming netminder Arturs Silovs to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Silovs had a terrific AHL season, but Vancouver’s depth between the pipes meant there was no future for him as a Canuck.

Otherwise, Vancouver allowed some fringe players to leave. And with due respect to the departees, the Canucks’ additions make up for what they’ve lost.

The Bottom Line

The Canucks are a team that’s built to win now, and that fact has informed Allvin’s work this off-season. There was no stepping back, no focus on retooling on the fly, no trades that hurt Vancouver’s odds of a bounce-back year. And for the purpose of these summer splash rankings, the Canucks have clearly had a better off-season than most teams.

Just about everything that could’ve gone wrong for Vancouver did go wrong last year – injuries, infighting and underachieving key players. But Allvin’s actions this summer have set the Canucks up to be a strong team in the relatively weak Pacific, and Vancouver fans should be elated with the moves the Canucks have made.

While Vancouver might not challenge for top spot in the Pacific, there’s no good reason why the Canucks can’t challenge for second place in the division. If they can do that and secure home-ice advantage in next year’s post-season, all of Vancouver’s off-season work will have been worth it.

Allvin has doubled down on his core talent, and with some tweaks here and there, the Canucks are going to be a handful for any opponent. And from our perspective, only six teams in the league have had a better off-season than Vancouver.

NHL Prospect Pool Overview ’25-26: Vancouver Canucks’ Pipeline Is PerplexingThe Vancouver Canucks are today’s focus in the NHL prospect pool overview series.

Summer Splash Rankings

8. San Jose Sharks

9. Utah Mammoth

10. New York Rangers

11. Detroit Red Wings

12. New Jersey Devils

13. St. Louis Blues

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

15. Colorado Avalanche

16. Ottawa Senators

17. Boston Bruins

18. Edmonton Oilers

19. Minnesota Wild

20. Seattle Kraken

21. Columbus Blue Jackets

22. Washington Capitals

23. Nashville Predators

24. New York Islanders

25. Tampa Bay Lightning

26. Toronto Maple Leafs

27. Dallas Stars

28. Calgary Flames

29. Los Angeles Kings

30. Winnipeg Jets

31. Chicago Blackhawks

32. Buffalo Sabres

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

The Ottawa Senators have taken another big step toward a new arena close to downtown.

On Monday afternoon, the Senators finalized an agreement to buy roughly 11 acres of land at LeBreton Flats to build a new NHL arena and events centre, just 2 kilometres away from Parliament Hill. The proposed building would be located just off Albert Street, and naturally, the Sens would be its main tenant.

That parcel of land is considerably bigger than the six acres that were being offered up by the National Capital Commission early in the discussions. The lack of land was one of the few details that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman expressed mild concern about in his past conversations with the media.

Monday's agreement was reached between the NCC and Capital Sports Development Inc (CSDI), which is run by Sens ownership. Their new deal lays out obligations for both parties on items like decontamination of the LeBreton soil and building of infrastructure elements.

With the deal in place, the project now slides into its next phase, which will involve things like zoning, design, and regulatory approvals.

Senators President and CEO Cyril Leeder says the organization is pleased with today's next step in the process, but reminds fans that it's not the final step.

“There are still many more hurdles to clear and we look forward to working with the NCC and other stakeholders to achieve our shared vision of creating an event centre at LeBreton Flats that can be enjoyed by our Ottawa-Gatineau community,” Leeder said in a team press release on Monday afternoon.

Tobi Nussbaum, the Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, was also quoted in today's press release:

“The promise of a major events centre will provide a lively and convenient attraction for residents and visitors, inject new energy and excitement into the core of the Nation’s Capital and further catalyze the development of LeBreton Flats. This agreement builds on the two previous real estate transactions completed by the NCC since 2022 on the Building LeBreton project that will see over 2000 new housing units along with new retail and commercial spaces built on the site.”

Assuming they reach the finish line, the sites will be, according to the NCC website, within a five-minute walk from two light-rail stations on the O-Train Confederation Line (Pimisi and Bayview stations). It remains to be seen how much parking will be available at the events centre.

The expansion Senators played for a few seasons downtown at the Civic Centre before heading for the suburbs and a new building in Kanata, where they've been since 1996.

By Steve Warne

This article originally appeared on The Hockey News website: Senators Reach Agreement To Buy Land At LeBreton, Move Closer To New Arena

More Sens Headlines:
Former Senator Mark Borowiecki Now 'Looks At Fighting From A Different Lens'
Keith Tkachuk On Brady's Future In Ottawa: 'I Don't Think He's Going Anywhere'
Next NHL Expansion Fee May Be 40 Times More Than The Ottawa Senators Paid
The Senators' 2025-26 Lineup Is Probably Already Set
Should Batherson Have Been Considered For Team Canada's Orientation Camp?
Mark Stone Jokes That It Wasn't Always Easy Playing On Brady Tkachuk's Line

The Detroit Red Wings have faced an arduous rebuilding process under the tutalege of GM Steve Yzerman, who didn't have much to work with upon his return to the organization to take over from Ken Holland in April 2019. 

Detroit hasn't played beyond the 82nd game of the regular season since three years prior that point in April 2016, which was the rookie campaign of current team captain Dylan Larkin.

It was also the final NHL season for Hall of Famer Pavel Datsyuk, who was only a fresh-faced rookie on the legendary 2001-02 Red Wings roster. 

Datsyuk, who would return to his native Russia to finish out his playing career in the months that followed Detroit's most recent postseason appearance, believes that the Red Wings' rebuilding efforts may have been hampered from the get-go thanks to their 25-year run of playoff hockey.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

“The Red Wings were at the top for a long time, winning many titles, so it’s understandable that their rebuild is taking more time than usual,” Datsyuk recently explained to RG.org. “They say a rebuild takes about seven years, but since Detroit was so high up, the road back to the top takes even longer."

"Now Detroit has a great arena, which is already a big plus," Datsyuk continued. "Perhaps what the team lacks is standout leaders – but that’s true not only for Detroit, it applies to hockey in general. Players are maturing more slowly these days, and some never mature at all, staying teenagers forever."

The good news for the Red Wings is that their core players consisting of Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider have not only matured, but have blossomed into bonafide NHL players. Additionally, the Red Wings are now getting key contributions from the likes of Marco Kasper, Simon Edvinsson, and Albert Johansson. 

While multiple NHL Insiders have expressed doubt on whether the Red Wings will ultimately experience postseason hockey at Little Caesars Arena for the first time this season, Datsyuk has a far more optimistic outlook. 

In Datsyuk's mind, not only will the Red Wings break out of their playoff drought this spring, but will return to the Conference Final for what would be the first time in 16 years. 

"Here’s my prediction – Detroit will reach the conference final," Datsyuk said. 

Detroit last reached the Conference Final in 2009, facing current Red Wings forward Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks, and defeating them in five games to punch their ticket to a second straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Hockeytown is hungrier than ever for postseason hockey, and it would be nothing short of an unbeatable atmosphere in the Motor City if the Red Wings not only secured a playoff berth, but also won multiple rounds.

Fans could proudly say they heard it first from the Magic Man himself.

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