One day after the Detroit Red Wings shared their pre-season schedule that revealed a pair of games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the latter revealed their full schedule on Wednesday.

The Maple Leafs will play a total of six pre-season games, which is the minimum required by the NHL under the CBA. Their schedule is identical to last year, consisting of the same three opponents, the Red Wings, in addition to the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens.

The NHL is currently negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and there has been increased chatter about the possibility of the pre-season being shortened in exchange for two more regular-season games and an 84-game schedule.

The current CBA expires at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Maple Leafs full pre-season schedule:

Sunday, September 21 – 3:00 pm ET at Ottawa Canadian Tire Centre (Ottawa, ON)

Tuesday, September 23 – 7:00 pm ET vs. Ottawa Scotiabank Arena (Toronto, ON)

Thursday, September 25 – 7:00 pm ET at Montréal Bell Centre (Montréal, QC)

Saturday, September 27 – 7:00 pm ET vs. Montréal Scotiabank Arena (Toronto, ON)

Thursday, October 2 – 7:00 pm ET vs. Detroit Scotiabank Arena (Toronto, ON)

Saturday, October 4 – 7:00 pm ET at Detroit Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, MI)

When will the Leafs’ full schedule be revealed?

Although there is no official date as to when the Leafs will unveil their full 2025-26 NHL schedule, NHL insider John Shannon reports that the schedule will be revealed on July 16. It’s nearly three weeks later than the league has historically revealed its schedule. Perhaps the NHL will look to what other leave have done and make their franchises have more of a fun coordinated schedule reveal that could take social media by storm.

Stay tuned...

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The Hockey News Big Show is here to discuss the biggest topics heading into the NHL draft and free agency.

NHL Draft And Free Agency Preview by The Big Showundefined

Here’s what Katie Gaus, Michael Traikos and Ryan Kennedy discussed in this episode:

01:06: Mitch Marner – what are we hearing? Where is he going?

02:13: In the rumor mill, are the Vegas Golden Knights looking to move Tomas Hertl? If so, where could he land? Could they be making room for Marner?

05:43: Aside from Connor McDavid, which other NHL player eligible to sign a contract extension on July 1 will be worth following this summer?

08:15: Rasmus Anderson and the Calgary Flames have no extension in place after next season, so if the team looks to trade the 28-year-old, who should be target him?

11:28: Could the Edmonton Oilers target either John Gibson or Thatcher Demko to address their goaltending?

15:30:  Top RFAs: among the players most likely to be qualified, who's the most likely to switch teams this summer, whether by a trade or offer sheet?

18:46: Which team do we expect to make the biggest splash in free agency this year?

21:45: Why is Matthew Schaefer the top draft prospect?

25:05: What does Michael Misa bring to the table?

27:11: Could Porter Martone be the next great power forward?

29:58: Who benefited the most from the Florida Panthers winning the Cup the way they did? 

33:08: Give us your first-round sleeper in the draft.

35:48: Draft comparables: who's the best comparable for James Hagens? 

39:18: Reacting to the Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2025 class

42:25: How would you describe the quality of this draft?

43:22: How many players from this draft will actually play in the NHL next season? 

44:08: Of the top 10 players in the 2019 draft, only three are still with the team that selected them (J. Hughes, Seider, Turcotte). Is this a good or bad thing?

45:53: Name one player you think will stay where he is and one who will go.

47:09: The St. Louis Blues announced their new jerseys. Yay or nay? 

Watch the full Episode here 

Subscribe to The Hockey News Big Show on your preferred platform.

After how the 2024-25 regular season went for the Vancouver Canucks, the organization knew they needed to address their offensive woes whether through free agency or trade. Today, they did just that, sending a 2025 fourth-round selection to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for forward Evander Kane. The Oilers will not be retaining any of Kane's $5.125M AAV in salary. 

"It's an honour to become part of an organization and team I grew up watching as a kid. Vancouver is a city that lives and breathes hockey, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to play in front of my hometown as I did many years ago as a Vancouver Giant," Kane said of the trade in an X post. 

"Evander is a physical power forward who will add some much-needed size and toughness to our group," Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin said of the acquisition. "We like the way he wins puck battles along the boards and handles himself in the dirty areas in front of the net. Evander moves well around the ice and has proven to be a productive goal scorer in the National Hockey League. We are excited to bring him back home to Vancouver and our staff looks forward to working with him this coming season."

Kane, who is originally from Vancouver, comes to the Canucks after stints with the Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks, and the Oilers. He was picked fourth overall in the 2009 NHL Draft and has made himself a 15-season NHL career. A seasoned veteran, some of Kane's best play came as a member of the Oilers during their Stanley Cup Playoff run in 2021-22, in which he scored 13 goals and four assists in 15 postseason games. 

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:  

How The 2024-25 Calder Cup-Winning Abbotsford Canucks Were Assembled 

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Kane will be entering the final year of his current contract once the 2025-26 season begins, meaning he is slated to be part of a Canucks UFA class that includes Conor Garland, Teddy Blueger, Kiefer Sherwood, Derek Forbort, and Thatcher Demko. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.

Sweeney details what he's looking for with No. 7 pick in 2025 NHL Draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins desperately need a franchise center, and with the No. 7 pick in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft, they have a tremendous opportunity to add a player of that caliber to their organization.

But it doesn’t sound like the Bruins are locking themselves into just one position, assuming they keep the pick.

“We’re taking the best player (available),” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney told reporters at his pre-draft press conference Wednesday afternoon.

The 2025 draft class is quite strong at center. It’s possible that six or seven centers could go in the top 10 picks. Several of those top center prospects who could still be on the board when the Bruins pick at No. 7, including James Hagens, Jake O’Brien, Brady Martin and Roger McQueen, have top-six potential.

But if a top wing prospect like Porter Martone or Victor Eklund are available at No. 7, they would be worth consideration as well. Martone, in particular, could be a good fit with the Bruins given his goal-scoring ability and power forward play style.

Porter Martone boasts all of the intangibles to be an impact player at the next level, turning heads in his #NHLDraft year with a 37-goal, 98-point season as captain of the @OHLSteelheads 🎥 pic.twitter.com/HdFgk4TRya

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) June 23, 2025

What attributes is Sweeney looking for when determining which players to take throughout the draft?

“We’re looking for the most impactful players,” Sweeney said. “Impact can come (in the form of) competitiveness, it can come in hockey sense, it can come in skill, it can come in scoring. When you combine them all, you get the perfect storm.

“It’s not a positional decision for us. Do we have areas that we would like to fortify if we have an opportunity to, depending on where the draft is deepest and you can choose between players who might be similarly positioned. But ultimately, we have to find the most competitive and skilled players that we possibly can.”

The Bruins just need more high-end talent. They have one of the worst prospect pools in the league. A center would be ideal at No. 7, but hitting a home run with the pick — regardless of that player’s position — is what’s most important.

While the Nashville Predators aren't the oldest franchise in the NHL, they have a lot of history of picking in the first round of the NHL Draft.

In its 27-year history, the Predators have selected 25 times in the first round. Amongst those first-round selections, some have had massive success in Nashville, others have found it elsewhere, and a few have been busts.

With the Predators picking fifth, 23rd and 26th overall in this year's draft, we take a look back at every first-round pick by Nashville. 

MORE: Analyzing every Nashville Predators first round NHL Draft pick: 1998-2002

MORE: Analyzing every Nashville Predators first round NHL Draft Pick: 2003-2008 

2009: Ryan Ellis (defenseman, 11th overall) 

A Predators defensive staple, Ryan Ellis was selected by the Predators 11th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft. 

In his draft year with the Windsor Spitfires, Ellis recorded an impressive 89 points in 57 games and won the 2009 Memorial Cup. He'd stay with the Spitfires for two more seasons following the draft, winning the Memorial Cup again in 2010 and finishing with 61 points in 48 games.

In his final junior season, Ellis had a whopping 101 points in 58 games. 

In his first two NHL seasons, Ellis flipped between Nashville and Milwaukee, but found a permanent spot on the Predators roster during the 2013-14 season, recording 27 points in 80 games. 

Ellis was able to translate his junior success to the professional stage, averaging 33 points a season from 2013 to 2020 and a plus/minus of 15. He had a career-high 41 points in 82 games during the 2018-19 season. 

Ellis was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2021 for Philippe Myers and Nolan Patrick. He played four games with the Flyers, but suffered a "complex" pelvic injury that has left him sidelined since then. 

2010: Auston Watson (forward, 18th overall) 

While Austin Watson has played over 500 NHL games, he struggled to find his way with the Predators.

He was drafted 18th overall by the Predators in 2010. In his draft year, he was traded from the Windsor Spitfires to the Peterborough Petes, combining for 54 points in 52 games between the two teams.

Watson was brought up to Milwaukee for five games but was sent back down to the OHL and played three more seasons in juniors, winning the OHL Championship in 2012 with the London Knights. 

In his professional stint, Watson logged strong numbers with the Admirals, scoring 128 points in 227 games. He made his debut with the Predators during the 2012-13 season, scoring one point in six games.

He found a regular spot in the Predators' roster from 2016 to 2020 and took a role as a bottom-six player. Watson's best season in Nashville was 2017-18, during which he recorded 19 points in 76 games and 123 penalty minutes. 

He was traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2021 for a fourth-round draft pick. He has since played with the Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings. This past season, he played 13 games with the Detroit Red Wings and 60 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins. 

2013: Seth Jones (defenseman, 4th overall) 

After not selecting in the first round for four years, the Predators had their highest pick since 1998 at the 2013 NHL Draft, selecting defenseman Seth Jones with the fourth overall pick. 

Jones dominated in his first, and only, junior season with the Portland Winterhawks. He scored 56 points in 61 games, with a plus/minus of 46. In the playoffs, he scored 15 points in 21 games, contributing to the Winterhawks' WHL Championship victory. 

Jones won the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the top rookie in the WHL, and won the gold medal with the United States at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship. He was a highly decorated prospect with immense potential.

Unlike a lot of the Predators' draft picks, Jones made the jump to the NHL as soon as he was drafted. He played  77 games and scored 25 points. However, he'd only spend three seasons in Nashville. 

In the final year of his entry-level contract, and scoring just 11 points in 40 games, Jones was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for center Ryan Johansen. 

With the Blue Jackets, Jones experienced newfound success, with his best season coming during the 2017-18 season, when he recorded 57 points in 78 games and earned one of three NHL All-Star bids. Towards the end of his tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets, he struggled with injuries and was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Jones spent three and a half seasons with the Blackhawks, earning another All-Star bid in 2023 before requesting a trade in 2025. He was traded to the Florida Panthers and won the Stanley Cup that season. 

The Predators may have walked away from Jones a little too early, as he has proven to be one of the top defensive talents in the league. It just took a second for him to find his stride. 

2014: Kevin Fiala (forward, 11th overall) 

Kevin Fiala is another player who developed with the Predators but didn't find success until he left Nashville. 

Selected by the Predators 11th overall in the 2014 draft, Fiala split time between the Swedish junior league and the Swedish Hockey League in his draft year. He had 25 points in 27 games with HV71's junior team and 11 points in 17 games with the top club. 

He also had five points in five games with Switzerland at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship. 

He spent one more year in Sweden after being drafted before splitting time between Milwaukee and Nashville. During the 2015-16 season, he played 66 games with the Admirals, scoring 50 points, but scored just one point in five games with the Predators. 

Fiala didn't break out until the 2017-18 season, when he had 48 points in 80 games. Through 64 games during the 2018-19 season, Fiala had 32 points, but was traded to the Minnesota Wild for Mikael Granlund. He'd add seven points in 19 games with the Wild that season.

Fiala's production only continued to increase following the trade. He had a career-high 85 points in 82 games during the 2021-22 season and has scored at least 60 points since 2021. 

In his latest season with the Los Angeles Kings, Fiala had 60 points in 81 games. He also earned IIHF World Championship MVP honors at the 2024 tournament and has won back-to-back silver medals. 

This is another player the Predators may have traded too soon. Toward the end of his time in Nashville, Fiala showed that he was ready to break out, but the Predators leaned toward a more veteran player in Granlund. 

2016: Dante Fabbro (defenseman, 17th overall) 

Dante Fabbro didn't grow into a franchise player, but was still a productive piece on the blue line for the Predators. 

Selected 17th overall out of the British Columbia Hockey League, Fabbro was selected for his offensive approach to the game, scoring 67 points in 45 games with the Penticton Vees. 

It would take three years before Fabbro made his debut with the Predators, spending three seasons with Boston University. In his final college season, 2018-19, he had 33 points in 38 games. 

In his first full season during the 2019-20 campaign, Fabbro scored 11 points in 64 games. His career slowly rose, with his peak coming during the 2021-22 season, when he scored 24 points in 66 games and had a plus/minus of 13. 

He signed a contract extension in 2024, but his numbers continued to decline, and he was placed on waivers after scoring no points in six games. He was claimed off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets and has had a resurgence with a new team.

In 62 games with the Blue Jackets, Fabbro scored 26 points in 62 games, the highest point total of his career so far. 

While Fabbro was slow to develop, it seems more like he wasn't a good fit for Nashville's defensive system. 

Roger McQueen is probably the biggest wild card in the 2025 NHL Draft. After starting off as a top 5 prospect in early rankings, the 6'5" center saw his draft stock fall a bit due to a significant lack of playing time and development this past season after facing a spinal injury. This has led to concerns from teams on if McQueen would be the best use for a high first round pick with experts predicting he could be picked from as high as 5th to as low as 20th. Whoever takes McQueen will hope that he can stay healthy and continue to develop towards being NHL ready.

ROGER McQUEEN SCOUTING REPORT | 2025 NHL DraftRoger McQueen Scouting Report with game highlights and statistical breakdown of his season with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL. He may be one of the big ...

Before his shortened season in 2024-25 where he put up only 20 points in 17 games, he was #3 in scoring on the Western Hockey League's Brandon Wheat Kings in 2023-24 tallying 51 points in 53 games with 21 goals and 30 assists. He also represented Canada in the  2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup notching 5 goals and 3 assists in 7 games helping them capture the gold in the tournament.

At 6'5 and 192 lbs, McQueen is on the larger side compared to other top prospect forwards, which could be enticing to NHL clubs who are looking for a player to slot into their lineups sooner than later without much wait for a player to grow and bulk up.

McQueen will have something to prove to whichever team drafts him on Friday after spending most of this past season injured and off the ice. Initially, the injury was rumored to be a slipped disc, but it was later clarified as a Pars fracture of the spine, a type of stress fracture, which is leading some teams to have concerns about his resilience. This could allow him to fall to #8 where the Kraken would have the chance to take a gamble on him if they felt he was the best choice for the team.

In the recent NHL combine, when questioned about his injury, McQueen was quoted saying, "One to 10, I'm at a 10, pain-free now, and there's no symptoms for the last while. So, it's been awesome, and I probably haven't felt better in the last three years."

If McQueen can stay healthy and continue to develop this next season with the Wheat Kings, the NHL team that selects him should be very happy and we could see McQueen in an NHL sweater sooner than later.

Related

NHL Draft - What Could the Future Hold for the Kraken's 8th Overall Pick? - Community PostWith the 2025 NHL Draft only a week away, the Seattle Kraken currently hold the 8th overall pick. Let's take a look at how the past ten players who were picked 8th overall are doing.

McQueen featured photo by - Rob Wilton via chl.ca

McQueen hero photo by - Jonathan Kozub via predlines.com

The Toronto Maple Leafs will play their final two preseason games against the Detroit Red Wings.

Detroit revealed its entire preseason schedule on Tuesday. The schedule features two games against each of the Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Toronto's two games against the Red Wings will be on Oct. 2 in Toronto and Oct. 4 in Detroit.

The 2025-26 NHL season officially starts on Oct. 7, but it's unknown when the Maple Leafs' regular season will begin. Toronto played six preseason games last fall — two each against the Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens — before their regular season started on Oct. 9 in Montreal.

Toronto announced its preseason schedule on Wednesday afternoon, with six games on the docket. The full schedule is below.

Maple Leafs To Play Minimum 6 Pre-Season Games In 2025 As Schedule Is RevealedOne day after the Detroit Red Wings shared their pre-season schedule that revealed a pair of games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the latter revealed their full schedule on Wednesday.

Before Maple Leafs training camp opening last fall, 26 of Toronto's top prospects played two games in Montreal at the Bell Centre in the 2024 Prospects Showdown. Toronto and Montreal's prospects went head-to-head on back-to-back days, but the Maple Leafs' young guns got the better of the Canadiens.

Toronto is preparing for the NHL Draft with six picks (64, 86, 137, 153, and 185). Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving and director of amateur scouting Mark Leach will speak to the media on Thursday, one day before the draft officially gets underway.

Former Maple Leafs Forward Alexander Mogilny Finally Inducted Into Hockey Hall Of Fame After Years Of SnubsFinally, after nearly two decades away from the game, former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Alexander Mogilny will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

In last year's draft, Toronto picked eight times. They selected Ben Danford with the 31st pick, Victor Johansson at 120, Miroslav Holinka at 151, Alexander Plesovskikh at 152, Timofei Obvintsev at 157, Matt Lahey at 200, Sam McCue at 216, and Nathan Mayes at 225.

Unless the Maple Leafs attempt to move into the first round on Friday, all of their picks will come on Saturday in rounds two to seven.

Report: Clubs View Vegas Golden Knights As 'Team To Beat' In Mitch Marner Sweepstakes As Maple Leafs Free Agent Hits MarketWith the NHL Draft and free agency fast approaching, the league is buzzing with activity, and no name is generating more speculation than Mitch Marner. While teams prepare for the draft, there is widespread debate about where the top free agent will end up.

(Top photo: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images)