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Five Goalies Poised To Break Into The NHL Full-Time In 2025-26

Anticipate a wave of newer faces looking to prove themselves in net this NHL season.

Last season, only the Calgary Flames’ Dustin Wolf was able to take the reins and break into a full-time NHL role, playing more than one-fifth of the season in the big leagues. 

This year, a handful of NHL teams have seemingly prioritized younger netminders moving up ahead of the 2025-26 season.

The group below will only include netminders who have yet to have played around 18 games in an NHL season beforehand, so the Buffalo Sabres’ Devon Levi, who played 23 in 2023-24, and Vegas Golden Knights’ Akira Schmid, who surpassed the mark twice before, won’t be considered as they’ve already accrued enough NHL pedigree.

Yaroslav Askarov, San Jose Sharks

Yaroslav Askarov has been the talk of hockey circles ever since being selected 11th overall by the Nashville Predators in 2020. Boasting superhuman feats of athleticism and an optimal frame at 6-foot-3, he’s bound to be an NHL starting goaltender. However, it took a move to San Jose to get there.

Askarov is the most likely of this bunch to have a Dustin Wolf-like breakthrough, as he’ll likely split the crease equally with Alex Nedeljkovic, who was acquired this off-season from the Pittsburgh Penguins. The real question isn’t whether he’s ready for NHL minutes, but more so whether he can handle just how defensively poor the San Jose Sharks will be as they continue to build for the future.

'It Was A Special First Year': Yaroslav Askarov Thankful For Former Sharks Goalie'It Was A Special First Year': Yaroslav Askarov Thankful For Former Sharks GoalieWhen Yaroslav Askarov came to North America, he was partnered with former San Jose Sharks goalie Devin Cooley on the Milwaukee Admirals.

Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota Wild

If you haven’t been paying attention to Jesper Wallstedt this past season, it’s likely for the best.

A season plagued by inconsistency and injury led to the 2021 20th overall pick cementing the worst season of his professional career, recording an .879 save percentage over 27 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. 

This regression certainly wasn’t what GM Bill Guerin and the Minnesota Wild were expecting from him after extending him earlier that season to a deal worth $4.4 million total through 2026-27.

With the two-year contract extension kicking in this season, and with Marc-Andre Fleury retiring, the team has little choice but to play him so they don’t bury over $1 million in the minors. 

Given his struggles last season, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him get sheltered minutes to start the year, with the bigger games going to Filip Gustavsson, in the hopes Wallstedt gets back into top shape and confidence. However, playing behind a more structured team, such as Minnesota, might just be what he needs to get back to the form scouts, pundits and fans alike were praising just a year ago.

Leevi Merilainen, Ottawa Senators

Leevi Merilainen’s rise through the Senators’ depth chart has been seismic. 

He went from a relative unknown in his draft year to a Liiga starter by 20. As of last season, the 22-year-old was able to shut down top teams when called up as the Ottawa Senators faced injuries to goaltenders Linus Ullmark and Anton Forsberg. He recorded an 8-3-1 record, 1.99 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in 12 games.

With Forsberg heading to the Los Angeles Kings in free agency, Merilainen will have the opportunity to get those guaranteed minutes. If he can continue to suppress the high-flying offenses of playoff teams in 2025-26, he may finish the season with a workload closer to a tandem goaltender than a backup.

Jet Greaves, Columbus Blue Jackets

When undrafted six-foot goaltender Jet Greaves was called up to the Columbus Blue Jackets for nine games in 2023-24, fans were pleasantly surprised that the underdog put up a respectable .908 save percentage despite a 3-6-0 record. 

Greaves’ 11-game stint in 2024-25, when he went 7-2-2 while posting a .938 SP, 1.91 GAA and two shutouts, showed there might actually be something there.

The Blue Jackets decided to give the kid from Cambridge, Ont., a shot, as he’ll look to back up six-year NHL veteran Elvis Merzlikins. With Merzlikins only averaging an .890 save percentage over the past three seasons, Greaves’ role may expand throughout the season if he continues to perform well.

Could The Penguins' Arturs Silovs Become The Next Dominik Hasek?Could The Penguins' Arturs Silovs Become The Next Dominik Hasek?How's that for a headline, eh? When the Vancouver Canuckstraded 24-year-old Arturs Silovs to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday for a fourth-round pick and a middling prospect in Chase Stillman, they did so with their fingers crossed that he won't make them look ridiculous.

Arturs Silovs, Pittsburgh Penguins

Arturs Silovs’ 2024-25 season was as up and down as they come. 

Across 10 games with the Vancouver Canucks, he looked far from NHL-ready, sporting a dismal .861 save percentage with a 2-6-1 record. 

In the AHL, however, the playoff MVP led the Abbotsford Canucks to a Calder Cup win with a .931 save percentage across 24 games.

A move to the Pittsburgh Penguins has opened up another opportunity for NHL minutes, but it won't come easily. 

Silovs will have to battle 2020 second-round pick Joel Blomqvist for those backup minutes behind Tristan Jarry. 

The edge should go to Silovs. While Blomqvist’s .885 SP over 15 games last season was better, Silovs would have to pass through waivers if the Penguins want to assign him to the AHL, while Blomqvist wouldn’t. 

Given the added stakes of being waiver-eligible for the first time, this is a make-or-break season for Silovs on whether the 25-year-old netminder can finally put it all together and become an NHL regular.

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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Dylan Beavers, Landen Roupp and Nolan McLean

FANTASY BASEBALL WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS

Dylan Beavers (OF Orioles): Rostered in 2% of Yahoo leagues

This has to be the time. With just 45 days left in the season as of Friday, the Orioles can now safely promote Beavers and keep him Rookie of the Year eligible in 2026. The move should have happened the day after Ramón Laureano was traded, and Beavers being trapped in Triple-A has only become more ridiculous with Tyler O’Neill and Colton Cowser landing on the IL. The Orioles have used Dylan Carlson, Daniel Johnson, Greg Allen, Ryan Noda and Jeremiah Jackson to cover the outfield in recent days, even as Beavers has hit .305/.420/.518 with 18 homers and 23 steals for Triple-A Norfolk.

The 33rd overall pick in the 2022 draft, Beavers has taken a major step forward this year in simultaneously adding power and cutting back on his strikeouts. He fanned 23.5% of the time in a 2024 campaign spent mostly in Double-A. This year, he’s at just 17.9% and has barely more strikeouts (74) than walks (67) in 413 plate appearances. His power potential is still in question. He’s big-time flyball hitter with pretty average exit velocity numbers and only an average pull rate. Yanking more of his 360-foot flies down the right field line is going to be a must for him in the majors. Fortunately, Camden Yards is kind to left-handed power.

Beavers might not be someone who succeeds right away. His patience at the plate has been greatly rewarded with the tight, ABS-controlled strike zone in Triple-A, and he’ll be seeing pitchers with better stuff get strike calls off the corners in the majors. Hitting for average probably won’t happen immediately. Still, he’s been ready for his first look for weeks now, and even if he doesn’t thrive immediately, his basestealing ability could help him amass some mixed-league value.

Landen Roupp (SP Giants): Rostered in 29% of Yahoo leagues

Roupp missed most of 2023 and spent much of 2024 in the bullpen, throwing just 76 2/3 innings, making one wonder how he was going to hold up as a full-time starter for the Giants this season. He was already up to 101 1/3 innings -- just six off his career high from 2022 -- when he went on the IL last month with elbow inflammation. That’s not great, of course, but it did give him the break he probably needed to help remain strong into September.

The 26-year-old Roupp has impressed for the most part in his return to the rotation. He had a 4.73 ERA in his first eight starts, but his peripherals were better than that suggested. Since then, he’s come in at 5-3 with a 2.05 ERA in 12 turns. His 53/28 K/BB over 61 1/3 innings during the span isn’t great, but Roupp gets plenty of grounders with his sinker and can punch guys out with his curve or change when he gets to two strikes.

The Giants have tough road series next week in San Diego and Milwaukee, but after that, they’ll finish up with a pretty easy schedule and play six of their last 10 series at home. It bodes well for the team’s pitching and makes Roupp and Justin Verlander a little more interesting the rest of the way. Maybe hold Roupp out if he is activated to start against the Padres (he might make a second rehab start instead), but after that, he should be a nice play.

Nolan McLean (SP Mets): Rostered in 16% of Yahoo leagues

Looking for a boost, the Mets pulled the plug on Frankie Montas this week, sending him to the bullpen. Coming up in his place is the 24-year-old McLean, who will make his major league debut Saturday against the Mariners. He’s earned the chance by going 8-5 with a 2.45 ERA and a 127/50 K/BB in 113 2/3 innings between Double- and Triple-A this year. Since the beginning of July, he’s fanned 29.2% of the hitters he’s faced.

McLean has mostly thrown mid-90s fastballs and sinkers, mid-80s sliders and high-80s cutters this season. His curveball has gotten good reviews, but he’s used it just nine percent of the time in Triple-A. He’s more often around the strike zone with the other offerings, though walks still can be a problem. Fortunately, he gets plenty of grounders when hitters make contact against him, and he can erase some of those walks with double-play balls.

The danger with McLean in the majors is that he’ll rack up too high of pitch counts to get through five innings and qualify for wins. He should be pretty effective, though, and the Mets, on paper at least, have an excellent bullpen behind him, so if he does get through five with a lead, there’s a good chance it’ll be held on to. He seems well worth taking a chance on.

Waiver Wire Quick Hits

- Kyle Harrison has pitched 10 scoreless innings in his last two outings for Triple-A Worcester and has a 1.59 ERA in his last six starts, so it seems like time for Boston to give him a real shot. I’m not high on Red Sox starters for the most part, but Harrison is missing enough bats to be interesting.

- Cubs prospect Owen Caissie would have gotten the thumbs up here if he was due to play regularly, but he’s not likely to get that kind of opportunity unless an outfielder ahead of him gets hurt. Caissie, promoted to the majors for the first time Thursday as a result of Miguel Amaya’s ankle injury, was batting .289/.389/.586 with 22 homers in Triple-A and is very likely ready to contribute against right-handed pitchers.

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Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors reportedly have ‘renewed' contract discussions

Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors reportedly have ‘renewed' contract discussions originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors have reestablished contract negotiations.

Golden State’s front office has remained at an impasse with the 22-year-old restricted free agent this offseason over a new deal, though both sides are trying to work through their issues.

“Well, there’s been renewed conversations between the two sides,” NBA insider Anthony Slater said Friday on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “There’s dialogue, but as you all know, talking doesn’t necessarily equal movement. They’ve shared contract concepts and opinions about the whole thing between each other this last week, dating back to last weekend.

“Kuminga wants more of a player-friendly deal, more of a signal that he’s a building block, not a trade asset.”

After trading for Jimmy Butler last season, Kuminga fell out of Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s regular rotation. The lack of meaningful playing time, coupled with his free agency status, has led to both sides looking into trade possibilities. While a potential trade framework was in place with the Sacramento Kings, nothing materialized.

Both sides appear willing to work out a deal to keep Kuminga in Golden State, but the 22-year-old still is not sold on being what amounts to a backup for games when Butler and Steph Curry can’t carry the offensive load.

Kuminga was selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, with Golden State expecting the raw but talented forward to develop into an All-Star caliber player. While he has shown flashes of brilliance, it hasn’t been enough to win a spot in the starting rotation with Butler in the fold.

The 22-year-old has few other options given the lack of interest from other teams and his restricted free agent status.

Hopefully, both sides can work through their differences and figure out a resolution before the start of official team training camp next month.

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NBA schedule 2025-26: Breaking it down by the numbers, including most back-to-backs

The NBA schedule for the 2025-26 season is out. We've broken down the league’s return to NBC and debut on Peacock and the more than 100 games you can watch across this network, as well as the 20 must-watch games of the season.

Now let's dive into the details of the schedule and talk about who has the advantage and disadvantage in back-to-backs, nationally televised games and more — including the most bobblehead nights.

Which teams have the most nationally televised games?

Four teams are maxed out at 34 games on national television:

• Lakers
• Warriors
• Knicks
• Thunder

The Timberwolves and Rockets follow those four with 28 each. Rounding out the top 10 are the Nuggets (26), Celtics (25), Cavaliers (24) and Mavericks (23).

Every team has at least two nationally televised games.

With the addition of Peacock NBA Mondays and many NBA Cup games being broadcast on Amazon Prime exclusively, the number of national broadcast games jumped this season to 244, up from 172 a season ago. Once the NFL season nears its end, the NBA will ramp up with nationally televised games nightly.

If you remove the games exclusively on streaming platforms from the national broadcast game list, only counting the games on NBC, ABC and ESPN, the teams with the most games are: Knicks (21), Lakers (20), Thunder (20), Warriors (19) and Nuggets (18). Worth noting that both the Rockets and Timberwolves will have 17 of those games. It's also worth noting that all those games on over-the-air broadcasts also will be available on streaming services such as Peacock for the NBC games as well.

Which teams have the most back-to-backs?

Every team has between 13 and 16 back-to-backs, with the average being 14.4 (down slightly from 14.9 a season ago). The five teams with the most (16) are:

• Hornets
• Nuggets
• 76ers
• Suns
• Wizards

Just as interesting is the number of times a team faces an opponent on a back-to-back. At the top of the list, the 76ers face 18 teams on the second night of a back-to-back, while the Nuggets are at the low end of that scale with 12.

Utah, Philadelphia, and Sacramento each have 14 rest advantage games, tied for the most in the league, according to Positive Residual.

There are no four games in five nights in the schedule.

Other schedule notes

• Getting rest before big games. The NBA noted that teams do not play the day before these games:

*All opening-week national TV games
*All Emirates NBA Cup games
*All Christmas Day games
*The four-game Peacock/NBC schedule on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
*The 10-game ABC Saturday schedule and eight-game ABC Sunday schedule
*The 11-game NBC Sunday schedule

• Pelicans have toughest NBA schedule. Remember when the Pelicans traded their 2026 first-round pick to Atlanta so they could move up and draft Derik Queen in this year's draft? Keep that in mind as you check out Positive Residual's projections for the most difficult schedule in the NBA this season:

Note that an older team in the Warriors is fourth on that list, with the Mavericks fifth.

• Impact of Clippers' new arena. Interesting note from The Athletic's Law Murray:

• Clippers lead the league in bobblehead nights. Clippers fans love bobbleheads?

Kris Dunn is a nice player, but is he bobblehead worthy?

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Watch Steph Curry knock down incredible half-court shot at his basketball Camp

Watch Steph Curry knock down incredible half-court shot at his basketball Camp originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry still has “it,” in case you were wondering.

The Warriors sharpshooter showed off his long-range prowess at his annual “Curry Camp” on Friday, nailing a shot from well beyond the half-court line. Such performances have almost become routine for Curry, who has cemented himself as the greatest shooter in the history of professional basketball.

Curry’s camp hosted 26 local boys and girls high school basketball players in Menlo Park for an intensive experience with world-class instruction. This year is an important one for the Curry brand as the camp has expanded into Asia, with stops in Japan, China and Hong Kong, culminating in the first-annual CurryCon.   

The 37-year-old has been hard at work this offseason, with a focus on improving his footwork and getting his body in tip-top condition for his 17th NBA season this fall.  

Curry wasn’t the only member of his family to show off their basketball skills, as his 7-year-old son, Canon, demonstrated that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Before Curry’s emergence in the NBA, the 3-point shot was regarded as more of a novelty than a legitimate offensive strategy. Once Golden State’s dynastic run was in full swing, it became apparent that the long-range game was here to stay. Now, opponents have to guard Curry from the second he possesses the ball until he takes a shot, which has forced the 37-year-old to make a few tweaks to his game.

With Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Curry all back on board for the Warriors, the franchise is hopeful that the trio can take them back to the NBA Finals.

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Jaccob Slavin Ranks As 8th-Best Defenseman In The NHL Network's List

James Guillory-Imagn Images

In the NHL Network’s latest list of the ‘Top-20 players right now’, Jaccob Slavin ranked as the eighth-best defenseman. 

Around this time last year, Slavin slotted in as the 13th-ranked defenseman on the list, so he moved up five spots. 

From his time playing for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off and obviously for his time with the Carolina Hurricanes, Slavin has gained recognition as one of most productive shut-down blueliners in the entire NHL.

“Jaccob might be the best defender in the NHL, and he has already cemented himself as one of the best players to ever put on a Hurricanes uniform,” Hurricanes General Manager Eric Tulsky said. “He is a crucial leader for our team, both on and off the ice, and keeping him in Carolina long term was a top priority.”

This past season, the 31-year-old defenseman recorded six goals, 21 assists, and 27 points in 80 games while averaging 21:34 minutes.

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The defensemen who ranked ahead of Slavin on this list include Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski, Miro Heiskanen, Victor Hedman, Josh Morrissey, and Rasmus Dahlin.

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Michigan’s $30M Fine Projection Is 11% of School’s Sports Budget

The NCAA’s Committee on Infractions ruled Friday that Michigan can play in the college football postseason, it just can’t get paid for it over the next two years. The total expected financial loss is expected to surpass $30 million. That would represent less than 15% of Michigan athletics’ likely 2024-25 spending figures. As a result of the …

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Can Or Should Ville Ottavainen Earn A Spot On The Kraken's Roster?

With the new youth movement the Seattle Kraken are embracing, Ville Ottavainen could be a quiet contender to play several games in the NHL.

The 23-year-old completed his second season in the AHL with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, and although his point totals were lower this past season, his all-around game improved, earning a call-up to the NHL when the season was concluding. In his NHL debut, he recorded an assist in 14:24 of ice time. 

Ottavainen finished the 2024-25 AHL season with three goals and 15 points in 68 games, a step down from his eight goals and 34 points in his 70-game rookie campaign. 

The 2021 fourth-round pick (99th overall) possesses a massive 6-foot-5, 210-pound frame that assists him in keeping the front of the net clear. His long reach breaks up plays in transition and when his opponents are cycling the pucks. 

His breakout abilities prior to the draft were what scouts said were holding him back. Since then, he's made improvements to that aspect of his game and has at the very least become a capable puck mover. His strengths could complement Ryker Evans' game, and Evans' strengths could complement Ottavainen's if the two were paired in the NHL. 

Ville Ottavainen (Steven Bisig-Imagn Images)

Currently, Ottavainen is on the outside looking in, but a strong training camp and pre-season could put him on coach Lane Lambert's radar. Lambert loves players who can kill plays, and Ottavainen does it better than most. 

On the depth chart, Vince Dunn, Adam Larsson, Brandon Montour, Ryan Lindgren and Evans are without a doubt ahead of him. Jamie Oleksiak and Josh Mahura likely are too, but plenty of rumors have circulated about Oleksiak's availability on the trade market, and Mahura was signed to serve as the seventh defenseman. 

Ottavainen may have to start the season in the AHL, but he could find himself up on the NHL roster very quickly if he continues to impress as he's done previously. 

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Poll: When Will the Anaheim Ducks Make the Playoffs?

This has been the most transformative offseason in recent memory for the Anaheim Ducks. With general manager Pat Verbeek’s contract nearing an end and a green light from ownership to do whatever it takes to end the organization’s seven-year playoff drought, the third-longest in the NHL, major surgery has been done to the makeup of team personnel. All of it in the name of making the playoffs in 2025-26.

“I think I see this team at a point to where my expectation of this team is to make the playoffs next year,” Verbeek said on April 19, following the firing of Greg Cronin as head coach. “I expect our group to take a step, and so I'm going to be active and aggressive in making our team better.”

Since that date, the roster has undergone a significant facelift, with the departures of long-time Ducks John Gibson, Isac Lundestrom, and Trevor Zegras, along with the additions of Chris Kreider, Ryan Poehling, Mikael Granlund, and Petr Mrazek.

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A brand new coaching staff will also be behind the Ducks’ bench in the upcoming season, with the newly appointed head coach, Joel Quenneville, being flanked by Jay Woodcroft and Ryan McGill and accompanied by Tim Army and Andrew Brewer.

“It has been a long, painful process, but we felt that we’ve reached a point where the rebuild is coming to an end,” Ducks co-owner Henry Samueli said following Quenneville’s introductory press conference. “It really is, and it’s time to take the step to becoming a perennial playoff contender and eventually (a) Stanley Cup contender.”

After the two worst seasons (by points percentage) in franchise history in 2022-23 and 2023-24, in which they totaled 58 and 59 standings points, the Ducks made a significant jump in 2024-25, improving by 21 points, escaping the basement of the standings, but still finishing 25th in the NHL and 16 points out of a wild card spot.

Most metrics suggest that a significant portion of that jump can be attributed to Anaheim's goaltending last season, indicating potential unsustainability.

Nonetheless, the goal is set and well-known. In most years, second wild-card teams average roughly 95 points, which would require another colossal jump in the standings. So that leaves those who follow the Ducks to ask their biggest question of the 2025 offseason: How can the Ducks improve by 35 standings points in two seasons?

The Ducks will be relying on four factors to accomplish their lofty goal: coaching, internal improvement from their youngest/most talented players, a repeatable output from the goaltending, and their veteran leaders staving off Father Time.

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Coaching

The true impact of an NHL coach and coaching staff will be on full display in Anaheim in 2025-26. In Cronin’s two seasons behind the bench, the Ducks had the 25th and 32nd-ranked power play, the 31st and 29th-ranked penalty kill, and were 28th and 30th in terms of 5v5 expected goals for percentage.

Quenneville is the second-winningest coach in NHL history with three Stanley Cup rings on his fingers. Jay Woodcroft ran very successful power plays as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks from 2008 to 2018, and McGill led some quality penalty kill units for the Vegas Golden Knights and New Jersey Devils from 2017 to 2025.

The staff Verbeek has assembled unquestionably has the potential to be one of the NHL’s elite, a vast improvement from the one behind the bench a year ago.

Internal Improvement

The Ducks project to start the season with at least seven U25 skaters playing in impactful roles on the nightly depth chart: Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish, Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger, and Drew Helleson. More could be added to that list in the form of Sam Colangelo, Nikita Nesterenko, and Tristan Luneau, with the outside possibility of Beckett Sennecke and Stian Solberg.

Focusing just on the first seven mentioned, the Ducks will be relying on all of them to take substantial leaps in their development. LaCombe had a breakout season ago, establishing himself as the team’s top blueliner, while Gauthier, Carlsson, and McTavish all displayed glimpses of how dominant they can be on a shift-to-shift basis. They will have to turn those flashes into elongated, consistent performances if the team is to realize its potential in the upcoming season.

Goaltending

Lukas Dostal has established himself as one of the best young goaltenders in the NHL, posting league-average traditional stats and above-average underlying numbers behind some of the poorer defensive teams in the NHL.

Dostal now has the reins as the Ducks' starter for the foreseeable future and the one who projects to start the team’s first playoff game, whenever that goal has been reached.

He will likely play more than he ever has and in as condensed a schedule as he’s ever experienced in his young career. The challenge will be maintaining his effort while avoiding fatigue as the season grows longer toward the latter portion of the 82-game slate.

He has the composure, skill, and drive to do so, and he will now have the opportunity. If the Ducks indeed make the playoffs, don’t be surprised to see Dostal’s name on some Vezina ballots.

Aging Veterans

The Ducks have one of the most talented young cores in the NHL. That core will be surrounded and insulated by an abundance of veterans on the opposite side of 30 years old.

Alex Killorn, Frank Vatrano, Ryan Strome, Chris Kreider, Mikael Granlund, Jacob Trouba, and Radko Gudas will all play key roles in the upcoming season and will have to elevate the platform that the young players are set to launch off.

All of those veterans have shown signs of declining games at different points in their careers, but have also shown the ability to evolve and remain impactful players as well.

Gudas had such a profound impact in his first season as a Duck in 2023-24, it earned him the captaincy in 2024-25. Kreider is just one year removed from back-to-back-to-back 35-plus goal campaigns. Granlund has eclipsed the 60-point mark in three of the last four seasons, including 61 points in 2024-25, playing for a bottom-dwelling Sharks team before he was traded to the Dallas Stars. These players are more than capable of continuing or returning to these levels despite approaching the final laps of their careers.

Father Time is undefeated, but the Ducks veterans will have to keep him at bay for one more season if this is the year the playoff drought is to end.

The team is counting on a lot to go right in the upcoming season, but if it does, another 15-point jump in the standings isn’t out of the question. However, the “ifs” are plentiful and will carry a heavy load.

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The Blue Jackets Sign Final RFA

The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced the signing of Daemon Hunt, the final RFA the Blue Jackets had to sign. 

The deal is a 1-year, 2-way deal and is worth $775K at the NHL level, and $80K at the AHL. 

“Daemon Hunt is a good, young two-way defenseman that plays a smart and controlled game,” said Waddell in a press release.  “His signing provides us important additional organizational depth on our blue line.”

Hunt was brought over in the deal that sent David Jiříček to the Minnesota Wild last season. He spent the entire year in Cleveland playing 48 games for the Monsters. He scored 2 goals and totaled 14 points. He also played 9 games for the Iowa Wild and had 4 points. He did play in one NHL game last season for the Wild as well.

This is a player Don Waddell won’t easily give up since he traded Jiříček for him. Still young at 23, the left-shot defenseman has a ton of upside and could take a huge step this year. Look for Hunt to be one of the first guys called this season if they’re in need. 

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