The phone call that changed everything came at an ordinary moment for Joseph Woll. 

The 27-year-old goaltender, a third-round 2016 draft pick who had spent the last decade inside the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, was sorting through his hockey card collection when the news arrived that he and defenseman Simon Benoit had been traded to the Philaddelphia Flyers.

“I think my initial reaction right when I got the call, as I imagine most people, was a lot of emotion. I’ve spent a long time in Toronto, so I was pretty sad to hear the news right when it happened. And went for a walk.”

The emotion lingered as Woll processed the end of his time with the only NHL organization he had ever known. Then a call came from his close friend and now-former teammate, Simon Benoit, who had also been dealt in the transaction. The excitement in Benoit’s voice helped reframe the moment.

“I didn’t know any details of the trade or anything,” Woll recalled. “I was really just focused on. At that point, I was thinking about leaving the Leafs, and Benny called me, and just the excitement of his voice, I think, really helped for me see how an unbelievable opportunity this was. And it was almost like from that initial reaction onward, there’s been, you know, almost a surplus of excitement on my part.”

For Woll, the trade marks the close of a journey that began when he was selected by Toronto in 2016. He spoke openly about what it meant to grow up inside the organization, to chase the dream he had carried since childhood, and to experience both the highs of playoff hockey and the lows of a difficult 2025-26 season.

“From when I was a kid it was my dream to play in the NHL and to be a great goalie. And to have the opportunities to play in Stanley Cup playoff games, to play in high pressure situations, to play as a starting goalie at times,” Woll said. “Ever since I was drafted to Toronto in 2016, I think that they’ve given me that opportunity. There’s been nothing but belief, support, and really just continually helping me to push to that spot. From the city, from the organization, to all my friends that I’ve made in Toronto, to my teammates. It’s been a very special, I believe, seven years with the organization and 10 of being a part of them since I got drafted. So even with all the positive and negative memories, I think it’s been a beautiful experience playing with them.”

Woll described the past season’s disappointment as part of a larger learning process that has shaped the goaltender he is today. He reflected on the ups and downs he witnessed and experienced since arriving in Toronto, including good runs, devastating losses, and a campaign that fell short of expectations.

“I think one of those things about goaltending, and probably like anything else in life, it’s a constant process that you’re honing your game over years and the big benefits I find in goaltending are experience,” he said. “Sometimes experience leads you to have positive outcomes, negative outcomes. And I think where a lot of the growth lies is in the negative outcomes, because that’s all a learning process and learning and honing your game is a continual thing. … It’s important not to take too much of that mindset because of what I’ve learned about myself, about the goalie I want to be from these experiences. … I think they were actually sometimes more beneficial than having success. Because it really pointed me in the correct direction.”

That growth included thriving in a tandem situation alongside Anthony Stolarz in previous seasons, learning he could step up when called upon, stay healthy, and prove his belief in himself through different roles,  including early NHL experience backing up Jack Campbell. Woll credited those Toronto years with giving him the perspective and resilience he carries forward.

Simon Benoit’s notification came after a workout at his cabin. The defenseman, who played three or four seasons with the Maple Leafs after arriving via trade, described the call as surprising but part of the job,  and said he was happy with where it sent him.

“It was the first time I spoke with (Maple Leafs GM John) Chayka,” Benoit said. “So obviously it was kind of surprising, but at the same time, it’s part of the job. I was just really happy where he sent me. So I was pretty excited for what’s to come.”

Benoit, who has a young child with his wife in Toronto, emphasized the personal roots he put down during his time with the organization and the warmth he felt from the people around him.

“They’re a good organization. They treated me so well. I have great memories for me, my wife, and my kid. Obviously, I have my kid there. So it’s always going to be special. And the guys there were just so welcoming to me. And we really had a good group. So it’s just going to be positive. And obviously, I’m bringing that baggage with me. And I learned a lot of stuff throughout those three or four years. So I’m going to be bringing that with me.”

One memory Benoit said he will carry with him is his overtime goal against the Ottawa Senators in Game 3 of their first-round plaoff series in 2025. 

“That was pretty exciting, obviously,” he said. “Playoffs are always fun. And I feel like it was my, I had the chance to play in my first playoffs with Toronto. And playoff hockey is so much fun. So I think I’ll just keep those moments.”

Benoit and Woll grew close during their overlapping years in Toronto. Often going out together on the road for dinners as part of a group that included Matthew Knies and former Leafs forward Bobby McMann.

Both players framed their departures as the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another.

“I know myself, I know my game more than I ever have before,” Woll said. “I’ve got a lot of experience under my belt and I’m excited for [what comes next]. Let my work speak for itself.”

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When the NHL draft lottery determined the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks were the Nos. 1 and 2 picks, respectively, the NHL world recognized the Vancouver Canucks as the biggest losers. But the team just behind the Canucks in the order — the Chicago Blackhawks — were similarly left in the cold at No. 4.

Chicago made the stunning move to ship that pick to the Sabres for Bowen Byram, a free agent after the 2026-27 season, in a package that also involves the No. 45 overall pick and Louis Crevier being sent to Buffalo while the Blackhawks absorb Jordan Greenway. It's the first time since 2008 a team has shipped off a known top-five pick, making it a wildly risky move for Chicago.

REQUIRED READING: Bowen Byram trade grades: Blackhawks take big gamble moving top-5 pick

So why would the Blackhawks take such a desperate swing? The answer is that GM Kyle Davidson is, in a word, desperate. In the current iteration of the NHL postseason, it can be extremely easy to find yourself in purgatory. Teams can scratch and claw their ways to competing for a playoff spot until late February to early March, come up short of the playoffs after a push, and retool in the next offseason.

Retooling, however, isn't an option in this offseason. The free agent class is barren, with Rasmus Andersson and John Carlson likely set to get big contracts as the best defensemen available. And the Blackhawks have a former No. 1 overall pick in Connor Bedard that they have to build around now. Bedard is a restricted free agent, which means Chicago has exclusive negotiating rights with the 20-year-old budding star. But with the Blackhawks in a six-year playoff dearth, and an eight-year drought leaving out the shortened 2019-20 season, the trade for Byram is a swing made out of necessity verging into recklessness.

Why did the Blackhawks trade for Bowen Byram?

In short, Byram changes the timeline for the Blackhawks. At least, he hopefully does. When Chicago lost the first or second pick, it lost the chance to pick a player like Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg. That put Chicago in a position where it was drafting for need at No. 4, rather than the best player available.

The most likely picks in that slot would have been either Keaton Verhoeff out of North Dakota or Chase Reid from the Soo Greyhounds, both defensemen. While both will likely be solid blue-liners in their own right, it's hard to imagine either coming out of the draft as a top-four defenseman. That would set the Blackhawks back, and the Blackhawks don't have time for setbacks at this point. They were the last team in the Central Division last year and the second-to-last team in the league. With Jeff Blashill going into Year 2 and Chicago actively figuring out Bedard's future, there's a lot to hash out that a draft pick likely complicates.

Enter Byram, who will likely take point on a power play that ranked 29th in the league last season. He wasn't the main point-man in Buffalo — the Sabres had too many options for that — so this could present a new opportunity alongside Bedard.

To be abundantly clear: That does not entirely justify the move. It may rationalize it, but in the end, teams trying to speed up their rebuilds tend to fail. In a poetic bookend, the Blackhawks traded with the team who set the blueprint on how to fully rebuild. Now, they can only hope Byram becomes an immediate difference maker on one of their top pairings.

The Original Six problem

Hockey, arguably more than any other North American sport, places a lot of emphasis on team traditions. Floundering in obscurity as a relatively new franchise is treated differently than struggling as an Original Six team. If the Rangers, Red Wings, Canadiens, Bruins, Maple Leafs or Blackhawks struggle, it's simply viewed through a different scope.

So, with the Blackhawks in a six-year playoff drought, they don't have to look far to see what can happen. Indeed, they need only look at what's going on on the other side of I-94. The Detroit Red Wings are in a league-high 10-season playoff drought, and that's coming off a 25-year playoff streak. To make matters worse, their star Dylan Larkin's future is clouded with Larkin having requested a trade, they have no real options to immediately improve in free agency, and their first round pick has been shipped to the St. Louis Blues.

The New York Rangers may be entering an era of irrelevance of their own. While their situation isn't quite as dire, general manager Chris Drury tied up an outsized amount of money in the likes of J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck. It's likely going to take a few years to get that roster back into truly competitive shake, and that's making optimal moves.

In short, the Blackhawks' front office knows it needs to turn things around quickly. Byram gives the Blackhawks a top-four defenseman who will make an impact next year and doesn't tie up a bunch of money into a huge contract. So for Davidson, the hope will be to reset the clock for the time being and show Chicago, Bedard in particular, that the Blackhawks can be competitive again.

Connor Bedard contract negotiations

Bedard's contract negotiations as a restricted free agent are still ongoing, but the good news for Blackhawks fans is that — even amid increasing instances of players looking to move on to greener pastures — the Canadian star has voiced no interest in leaving Chicago.

Bedard has said very publicly he loves playing in Chicago, wants to be there for a long time and even wants to be the captain. However, the Blackhawks have to build a team that can win around Bedard. In that sense, it's good to try to get his foot in the door of the postseason and try to reload and be seriously competitive in 2027-28. That might not be the way it pans out, but the vision is there.

This feels like a desperate move, but the Blackhawks feel desperate. It's not a team that should be finishing near the bottom of any standings, and Chicago is at risk of feeling the worst thing it can feel about a team: Apathy. When the Blackhawks are good, the city is abuzz. Banners fly and fans excitedly starting talking about their seventh date with Lord Stanley's Cup. Some course correction from Davidson, who promised a full rebuild due to the Blackhawks' lack of developmental talent ahead of 2022, has been needed.

This move flies in the face of that. It undermines the desire for developmental talent, but to Davidson's credit, he really has tremendously helped the Blackhawks' prospect pool. Anton Frondell, Roman Kantserov and Nick Lardis are all waiting in the wings as scorers, with Frondell in particular looking like a possible Bedard linemate. But Chicago has desperately craved defense.

The greatest risk Davidson runs is being perceived the same way his predecessor Stan Bowman is in Edmonton now. Someone who lucked into a potentially generational talent and was unable to build around them long-term. Bedard is nowhere near his prime and he is still on the first page of his legacy with the Blackhawks, if they retain him for a new contract in the seven- to eight-year range. But this trade is the move of someone worried they'll only be in the foreword.

If Byram brings the Blackhawks back to the playoffs, it's a wash. But if they come up short, Byram walks and Davidson traded No. 4 for nothing, expect the microscope zoom to increase that much more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blackhawks Bowen Byram trade: Why move for defenseman is practical

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The Ducks' 2025-26 season has been over for just over a month and with the 2026 NHL Entry Draft just around the corner, it feels like a good time to start recapping this past season for each player in the organization.

Today's edition of 'By the Numbers' will feature players who wore Nos. 71-80 this season.

If you missed the previous edition of 'By the Numbers', you can click here to read it.

Will Francis

Francis only played in two games this past season, but it wasn't due to your typical injury. Originally diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2020, Francis is now a four-time cancer survivor after battling a relapse this past October. His cancer again went into remission in December, but Francis did not play for the rest of the season as he recovered from his treatment.

He enters this offseason as a free agent after coming off a one-year, AHL-only deal. It's unclear if he'll remain with the Ducks organization, but if he does, it will likely be on a similar contract. Regardless if he continues his playing career, Francis' perseverance and courage should be lauded.

Noah Read

Selected in the third round of the 2025 draft, Read was expected to play a bigger role in 2025-26 for the London Knights after the departures of key players like Sam Dickinson, Denver Barkey and Easton Cowan. Unfortunately, that opportunity didn't materialize. Read played just 10 games for the Knights before being dealt to the Niagara IceDogs for Braidy Wassilyn.

Read had a hot start to his IceDogs career, scoring four goals in six games, though he struggled to find consistency afterwards, putting up just 16 points in the next 44 games. Some of that may have been due to his role as part of a checking line, but it would have been nice to see him build off of his first season in the OHL, when he had 26 points in 45 games.

He'll likely be back with the IceDogs next season and will look to have more of an impact on the scoresheet. His speed and dogged forechecking make him a good fit for the IceDogs system, it's just a matter of putting it all together on a more consistent basis.

Jan Myšák

Myšák was one of the Ducks' final cuts during training camp last fall, hoping to stake his claim as a bottom-6 forward. Coming off the best season of his pro career in 2024-25, Myšák looked like he was on the bubble for an NHL call-up. He spent the entire 2025-26 season in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls, serving mostly as their second line center, and had 23 points in 56 games. It was a far cry from his statistical production from the previous season.

In mid-February, Myšák suffered an injury that sidelined him for 14 games and kept him out for over a month. When he returned, he continued to fill the same role, but the offensive production was lacking. He had just two points in nine games after returning from injury.

After highly-touted prospect Roger McQueen joined the Gulls following the conclusion of his collegiate season with Providence in April, Myšák was demoted to the third line and was even healthy scratched for two games. In fact, Myšák was a healthy scratch for Game 2 of the Gulls' playoff series against the Colorado Eagles, with head coach Matt McIlvane opting to insert Coulson Pitre into the lineup.

Myšák may have seen the writing on the wall after his disappointing finish to the season, as he recently signed a two-year contract with HV71 in the SHL. Myšák was slated to be an RFA this summer, but it's now unlikely that he will be tendered a qualifying offer by the Ducks. Originally acquired from the Montréal Canadiens for former first round pick Jacob Perreault in 2024, this trade did not pan out for either team.

John Carlson

Carlson was a trade deadline acquisition for the Ducks, traded by the Washington Capitals in the wee hours of the night ahead of trade deadline day. His addition brought another veteran presence to the blue line alongside Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas, and provided another player on the team who had previously won the Stanley Cup.

A lingering lower-body injury that he suffered while still with the Capitals delayed his Ducks debut initially, but it took him little time to get adjusted. Having another offensive dynamo on the backend fed into the run-and-gun style that the Ducks had spent most of the season operating under. His presence also allowed Jackson LaCombe to man the second power play unit, creating two strong units for assistant coach Jay Woodcroft to work with.

Carlson finished the regular season with 14 points in 16 games with the Ducks, including his first career NHL hat trick on Apr. 9 against the San Jose Sharks. He continued to provide value in the Ducks' first round series against the Edmonton Oilers, averaging over 23 minutes of ice time and collecting five points in six games.

However, he was almost a detriment to the team in their second round series against the Vegas Golden Knights, struggling to adjust to the Golden Knights' ferocious forecheck and stingy penalty kill. Carlson logged a singular point in the six-game series and had a minus-4 rating.

The expectation is that Carlson, a pending UFA, will hit the open market on July 1. It's been reported that he is seeking a return to the East Coast and could command upwards of $9 million a year. His acquisition cost the Ducks their 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick, which general manager Pat Verbeek viewed as an adequate cost to provide his team with a strong addition for their playoff run.

In the days leading up to the 2026 NHL Draft, first-round picks have been thrown around like candy to acquire players like Mackie Samoskevich, Brady Tkachuk, Jordan Kyrou, Šimon Nemec and Bowen Byram. The Ducks potentially could have been in that fold as well if they had retained their pick. Their first-rounder provided the Capitals with the necessary ammunition to acquire Kyrou, after all. Could the Ducks have made the playoffs without Carlson? Who knows. But his presence helped Pavel Mintyukov find consistency in his play down the stretch and provided another resource for the Ducks' young players to learn from.

Judd Caulfield

Caulfield just wrapped up his third season in the AHL, his best professional season to date. He played up and down the lineup, but most of his ice time down the stretch came alongside Nathan Gaucher as part of the Gulls' de facto checking line. Caulfield plays a prototypical power forward game, using his size and strength to keep the puck away from opponents and drive to the crease. He was originally acquired by the Ducks from the Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2023 and signed a two-year entry contract (ELC) just days later. He spent the past season on an AHL-only deal following the expiration of his ELC last summer.

Out of contract this summer, Caulfield was one of the Gulls' most productive players in 2025-26. If brought back, he may not have the same role that he did under a new head coach, with McIlvane now an assistant coach in Boston. But his physical attributes fall in line with what Verbeek values from his players and he was one of the few AHL-only deal players to play in preseason for the Ducks, so it's possible that Caulfield may get a shot at an NHL contract this summer.

Frank Vatrano

To say that Vatrano's 2025-26 season was tumultuous would be an understatement. He began the season on the third line, but had just three points through the first month of the season. A brief period on the fourth line helped Vatrano bag his first two goals of the season before he endured 14 consecutive games without a single point. A stint of productivity in mid-December provided hope that he could get back on the right track, but it was derailed when he suffered a fractured shoulder on Dec. 27 after falling hard into the boards.

Vatrano did not return to the lineup until Mar. 4 against the New York Islanders. He had been healthy enough to play, but was away from the team after his brother, Sammy, passed away after a five-year battle with glioblastoma. Vatrano played in 12 regular season games upon his return, but was also a healthy scratch in 10 of the Ducks' last 22 games. He did not make a single appearance during the Ducks' playoff run, calling into question what his future holds.

There are two years left on the three-year, $13.71 million contract extension that Vatrano signed on Jan. 5, 2025, which includes a seven-team no trade list. Things can only go up from here for Vatrano, who endured the worst statistical season of his pro career while dealing with matters off the ice that are more important than hockey.

Tomáš Suchánek

After recovering from a ruptured ACL that forced him to miss the entire 2024-25 season, Suchánek began the 2025-26 season in the ECHL with the Tulsa Oilers, splitting time in net with fellow Ducks prospect Slava Buteyets.

He was recalled to the Gulls in late November and made a pair of starts before being reassigned to the Oilers. By this point, Buteyets had taken control of the crease and was the Oilers' regular starter. Suchánek made just two starts before again being recalled to the Gulls after the Ducks recalled Ville Husso in the wake of Petr Mrazek's season-ending hip surgery.

Suchánek operated as Calle Clang's backup for most of the rest of the season, up until Damian Clara joined the team from Brynäs following the conclusion of the SHL season. Once Clara arrived, Suchánek appeared in just one game leading up to the Gulls' playoff run, a relief appearance for Clang after he suffered an injury during the last game of the regular season. With Clang out for the playoffs, it was Clara who got the starting nod over Suchánek.

Clang is gone now, back in Sweden with his former club Rögle in the SHL. Buteyets may also be gone, out of contract this summer. That leaves Clara and Suchánek as the goaltending tandem in San Diego, with Husso now the full-time backup in Anaheim and Mrázek also expected to hit free agency.

It was a difficult season for Suchánek in his return from long-term injury. He made 11 appearances for the Oilers, going 3-8-0 with an .884 SV% and 4.27 GAA. He didn't fare much better with the Gulls, sporting a 5-7-4 record with an .879 SV% and 3.31. The hope will be that he can get back to form next season after having a full season to get adjusted after the long layoff.

Drew Schock

In his first season as a collegiate player, Schock had 10 points in 38 games. While it's easy to look at Schock's points total and assume that he didn't do very much offensively, he was part of the 7D rotation to start the season, often flip-flopping with Matthew Mania or even being a healthy scratch. As the season progressed, he began to find a role on the second pairing, playing on his off-side as a left-hander with Ben Robertson.

By the time Michigan was in the stretch run leading up to the NCAA tournament, Robertson and Schock had become a reliable pairing behind Tyler Duke and Luca Fantilli. Schock uses his skating and hockey sense to turn defense into offense and while he isn't very flashy, the tools that he has can help him become an NHLer down the line.

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One of draft's top risers would be fun pick for Flyers … if he's available originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

For the first time in a while, the Flyers are coming off a playoff run.

That, of course, makes life a little different for the club’s amateur scouting staff leading up to the 2026 NHL draft. Barring a trade, the Flyers will pick at 21st overall. It’s their lowest first-round spot since 2020.

But that was when the Flyers drafted a foundation piece, grabbing Tyson Foerster at 23rd overall.

So the Flyers know the draft is still critical to what they want to do, even when they’re lower in the order.

“We’ve said it for a long time, we wanted to build a team that was going to be here for a long time; not just to go for it for a year or two,” general manager Danny Briere said last month. “That’s still the same approach on my end.”

After the recent trade with the Maple Leafs, the Flyers have only four picks in this draft, which will be held June 26-27. The first round is Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday starting at 11 a.m. ET.

“I’ll tell you how I feel about drafts and I’ll be totally blunt with you,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said June 2 in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I think it’s f—ing bulls–t when I hear about, ‘Oh, this draft isn’t as good.’ Here are the numbers. Approximately 45 players from any draft will play 350 games or more in the NHL. It might be 47 one year, 42 another year. That’s the number — you get 45 players that’ll play 350 games or more with varying degrees of success.

“And I know this about the draft. The teams that get good players from the draft say it was a good draft. The teams that don’t get good players from the draft say it wasn’t a good draft. So when people start telling me about a draft ahead of time, I call bulls–t.”

Last summer, the Flyers made nine selections, with six coming over the first two rounds. Porter Martone was their headliner at sixth overall. Now the Flyers will try to hit on a pick in the 20s.

“What you’re trying to do is find a player that you feel has the potential to be an NHL player,” Button said. “That might be a third-line center, that might be a second-line scoring winger. Hey, listen, maybe you get David Pastrnak, who’s a superstar (drafted 25th overall in 2014).

“But the focus has to be on, ‘OK, what type of player do we like, what type of player do we think the guy can be?’ And then get after it and understand what the development path is, and then try to help that player be the best he can be. Put a stake in the ground and celebrate who you’re drafting.”

Before the draft arrives, we’ve been breaking down first-round targets for the Flyers.

To wrap things up:

Wyatt Cullen

Position: Winger
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 183
Shoots: Left
Team: USNTDP

Scouting report

There’s a ton to like about Cullen’s makeup.

He’s a dynamic playmaker with shiftiness and skill. He has impressive hockey bloodlines. And he doesn’t turn 18 years old until September.

“I think there’s a raw talent there, his base is there,” Daily Faceoff associate editor and prospect analyst Steven Ellis said June 9 in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. … “Give him a year or two and I think he’s going to make a lot of teams that passed on him look bad.”

Cullen put up over a point per game this season in the U.S. national team development program. He had 16 goals and 29 assists over 40 games on the under-18 team that wasn’t nearly as loaded as it has been in the past.

“I feel like what we saw from him was a player that was limited offensively because of the team he played for,” Ellis said. “Part of that is when you look at the NTDP, there’s not a lot of high-end talent there.”

Thanks in part to a serious growth spurt, Cullen has been viewed as one of the draft’s top risers. In the last two years, he has grown by eight inches and 56 pounds, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic.

At the 2026 IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship, a tournament that ended last month, Cullen delivered nine points (three goals, six assists) in five games for Team USA.

“His favorite player is Jack Hughes and that’s one the scouts have kind of thrown around for him a couple of times,” Ellis said. “There’s a two-way game, it’s something where he’s a hard-working guy for someone who primarily plays on the wing. He has some center experience, but mostly on the wing.”

Cullen is the 10th-ranked player on Ellis’ top-120 draft board.

“Every time he played at a showcase event, he was outstanding,” Ellis said. “He was a legitimate MVP candidate for USA at the under-18s. … Every game was explosive from him. Great plays, smart, outstanding skill, great skater.”

There’s some variance on Cullen’s stock. He’s No. 6 overall on EliteProspects.com, but No. 21 on Button’s list. He’s No. 13 among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting.

“I think the biggest thing for him is figuring out how to use his bigger frame,” Ellis said. “If he can do that and allow himself to kind of overpower opponents on the boards or through the middle, I think that’s where he gets really exciting.”

Final draft rankings have been updated in this story.

Fit with Flyers

Interestingly, Cullen’s father played for Rick Tocchet when the Flyers’ head coach was an assistant with the Penguins. Matt Cullen suited up for 1,516 career NHL games and won three Stanley Cup titles, two of which came with Tocchet in Pittsburgh.

But connections aside, the 17-year-old Cullen would be a fine pick for the Flyers. He has some positional versatility, too, which should only help his projection.

It’s feeling more and more likely, though, that Cullen won’t be there for the Flyers unless they trade up.

More targets

• Could Lawrence’s early jump to college have him fall to Flyers in draft?

• Will Flyers eye 6-foot-4 forward with ‘goal-scoring hands’ at No. 21?

• Palmieri ‘type of player’ may be available for Flyers at No. 21 in draft

• Russian center with pro build has interesting case for Flyers at No. 21

• Lin has ‘Brandon Montour profile,’ but will he be there for Flyers at No. 21?

• D-man with ‘unbelievable maturity to his game’ could be option for Flyers at No. 21

• ‘Second-line center all day long’ should intrigue Flyers in draft

• ‘This kid is a hell of a player’ — Flyers could draft 45-goal, 104-point winger

• Is Novotny, a winger that’s ‘so dangerous around the net,’ a fit for Flyers?

• A Drysdale type of defenseman for the Flyers at No. 21 in the draft?

• Another OHL first-rounder for Flyers? Klepov, with 97 points, has tons of appeal

• A center with ‘fantastic’ hockey sense could give Flyers option to trade down

• Should a 6-foot-7 center have the Flyers’ attention in first round of draft?

• Is Hermansson too ‘offense or bust’ for Flyers at No. 21 in draft?

• Preston has ‘all the tools,’ but will his tough draft year dissuade Flyers?

When the 2026-27 NHL season begins, the Florida Panthers will have one of the deepest and most talented groups in the league.

It’s not debatable. It’s a fact.

The addition of Brady Tkachuk only added to what was already a Stanley Cup caliber squad, but there are still some holes that will need to be filled.

Obviously, the Panthers need to add a couple of goaltenders.

THN Florida has previously reported the team is giving a good look to several veterans who would not demand high salaries, putting faith in the Goaltending Excellence Department to continue finding tendies whose skillset would allow them to excel inside the Panthers’ systems.

That being said, don’t count the Panthers out quite yet in regard to a big-name goaltender who may be looking for an exit from his Canadian Western Conference team.

Even after using much of their trade capital to acquire Tkachuk, it seems Florida has not closed the door on Connor Hellebuyck and are seeing if they can find a deal that works for both sides. 

Currently, the Panthers have just over $7 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia, and Hellebuyck is playing on a deal that runs through 2030-31 and carries an average annual value (AAV) of $8.5 million. 

Another area the Panthers are looking to bolster is their third defensive pairing.

One veteran blueliner Florida is considering is former Cats defender Radko Gudas.

The bearded butcher spent three seasons in South Florida before signing a three-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks during the summer of 2023.

Gudas, who turned 36 years old at the beginning of June, very much enjoyed his time with the Panthers and was viewed as a leader in the locker room during his tenure with the team.

Those leadership attributes followed him to Anaheim, where Gudas was named the ninth captain in Ducks franchise history.

Regarding quality of play, his advanced metrics were better last season than in either of his first two years in Anaheim, and the physical Gudas is well aware of what Florida asks of their defenseman after playing under Paul Maurice with the Panthers in 2022-23.

The Ducks signed Gudas to a three-year deal that carried an AAV of $4 million, and that came after he played in Florida on a deal that paid him $2.5 million annually.

We’re exactly one week away from the start of free agency, and the NHL Draft is Friday.

Things remain fluid and there are several moving parts, but no matter what happens, it should be fun to see play out.

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Photo caption: Jan 25, 2026; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas (7) against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)