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The National Hockey League community loves comparing draft prospects to current players. Right now, every undersized offensive defenseman gets the comparison to Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens. Hutson is a small defenseman who is a top-five offensive player at that position, and he is only a few years into his NHL career. The Montreal Canadiens were able to snag Hutson with a second-round (62nd overall) pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and his size played a huge role in him falling that fa

The Detroit Red Wings' farm system saw one of its most notable breakout performances in recent memory this past season in winger John Leonard, who dominated at the AHL level for the Grand Rapids Griffins. The 27-year-old finished the year with 33 goals and 21 assists for 54 points in just 47 games, leading the Griffins in scoring during a record-breaking season for the franchise and earning a spot on the AHL's Second All-Star Team for the second consecutive year.When Leonard finally

The Detroit Red Wings will have plenty of interesting questions to sort out with their lineup heading into next season, and one of the more compelling ones centers on hard-checking winger Carter Mazur.The 24-year-old Jackson, Michigan native has long been vocal about his dream of representing his hometown team, and when Detroit declined to extend him a qualifying offer on June 30th, it briefly looked like that dream might be over. However, on July 1st, Detroit brought Mazur back on a two-ye

A former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman is hanging up the skates, as Jordan Oesterle has retired from professional hockey. O2K Sports Management announced the news. Oesterle's retirement comes after he posted 14 goals, 32 assists, and 46 points in 69 AHL games for the Milwaukee Admirals last season. He also played one game for the Nashville Predators in 2025-26. Oesterle was a member of the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2017-18 season. In 55 games with the Original Six club during that campaign,

As Travis Green gets set for his third season as Senators head coach, it's easy to forget he enjoyed a long and successful NHL playing career of his own.The hockey world was reminded of that on Saturday night when Green was inducted into British Columbia's Hockey Hall of Fame. Green entered the Hall with former NHLers Andrew Ladd, Josh Gorges and Darryl Reaugh (builder category), along with former NHL referee Malcolm Ashford (official) and the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 Vernon Vipers of the

Phillip Danault and Josh Anderson are not the only two veterans Montreal Canadiens playing in their contract year; Alexandre Carrier and Samuel Montembeault will also be playing for new deals when the puck drops on the season. If Montembeault felt he put too much pressure on himself last year with the possibility of making Team Canada for the Olympics, one can wonder if playing for a new deal, or better yet, competing to play for a new deal, won’t have the same effect. The netminder is coming of

May 6, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs (19) on the ice before the start of the third period against the Montréal Canadiens in game one of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn ImagesTimothy T. Ludwig-Imagn ImagesBUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres announced on Monday they signed forward Peyton Krebs to a four-year, $18 million contract.Krebs set career highs with 12 goals and 27 assists last

The Calgary Flames are not supposed to be here.They are supposed to be rebuilding. They are supposed to be collecting draft picks, clearing contracts, and waiting years before they become a serious threat again.Instead, they have quietly put themselves in one of the most fascinating positions in the NHL.They have a young foundation beginning to emerge, nearly $15 million in projected cap space, and an astonishing collection of draft capital that currently includes 30 selections through the 2030

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres made a series of moves involving its forward corps Monday, signing Peyton Krebs to a four-year, $18 million contract and dealing Tyler Kopff to the Washington Capitals for fellow prospect Zac Funk.The 25-year-old Krebs, who had been eligible for arbitration, set career highs with 12 goals and 27 assists last season. The former first-round pick by Vegas in the 2019 draft was acquired by Buffalo in the deal that sent Jack Eichel to Vegas. He has 42 goals and

What if the Los Angeles Kings aren't standing still at all?After an offseason that has left some fans questioning the lack of a blockbuster move, a growing theory suggests general manager Ken Holland may be positioning the franchise for something far bigger than another veteran addition.The Kings may not be waiting for the next available piece.They may be waiting for the player who changes everything.According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Los Angeles has been intentionally preserving as

The hearing dates are out for NHL salary arbitration cases and two players reached a settlement on Monday, July 13.That was Buffalo Sabres forward Payton Krebs, who agreed to a four-year, $18 million ($4.5 salary cap hit) deal well before his scheduled Aug. 1 hearing. New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider also settled for one year at $5.5 million, according to multiple reports.Settling early is typical during the salary arbitration hearing season, which runs from July 20 to Aug. 1 in Toro

The Colorado Avalanche have officially handed Fabian Lysell the opportunity he was waiting for.Colorado announced Monday that it has signed the 23-year-old forward to a one-year contract for the 2026-27 season, giving the former first-round pick a prove-it deal just weeks after acquiring him from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Ivan Ivan. Financial details have yet to been disclosed.For both sides, the timing makes sense.The Avalanche add another low-risk, high-upside talent to an organization

With just one player heading to arbitration, the Florida Panthers could be looking to strike a deal with Akira Schmid before their new deadline. Typically, NHL teams and players can avoid meeting with an arbitrator by signing an extension before the deadline. Players file for arbitration to speed up the process of negotiating an extension.But in some cases, if a deal cannot be reached, going to arbitration can yield a balanced outcome. If the Panthers do not come to terms with Schmid w

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a few changes to their defense ever since John Chayka became the GM of the club in early May.It's an area of the team that was particularly disappointing this past season. The Maple Leafs were the second-worst team in the NHL when it came to keeping the puck out of their net, averaging 3.60 goals against. That's the highest goals-against average the franchise has ever posted since registering a 3.68 in 1991-92.Therefore, some alterations on the back end

After concerns about the way his sophomore season in the NHL went, Philadelphia Flyers starlet Matvei Michkov is already doing what he can to begin erasing those doubts.To the dismay of a small faction of Flyers fans, Michkov, 21, has spent much of his offseason back home in Russia, and he'll soon participate in the Match of the Year before returning to North America.In the meantime, though, the young Flyers star has spent some time recently training with a star-studded group of NHLers in pr

Zach Benson locked up on long-term deal with the Sabres The only outstanding business remaining this summer with the Buffalo Sabres roster was the status of forward Peyton Krebs, who filed for salary arbitration earlier this month. The 25-year-old forward was someone who head coach Lindy Ruff relied on frequently last season because of his versatility. On Monday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the two sides avoided arbitration and agreed to a four-year, $18 million contract extensio

On Saturday, former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Josh Gorges was inducted into the British Columbia Hockey Hall of Fame. He was welcomed to the Hall alongside Andrew Ladd, Travis Green, Daryl Reaugh, Malcolm Ashford, and the Vernon Vipers (the 2008-09 and 2009-10 teams). While the stay-at-home defenseman wasn’t by any means a spectacular player, his work ethic was second to none, and he excelled defensively at blocking shots and breaking up plays. He spent 13 seasons in the NHL with the San Jo

RALEIGH, NC - MARCH 28: Jordan Martinook #48 of the Carolina Hurricanes against Dawson Mercer #91 of the New Jersey Devils during the third period at Lenovo Center on March 28, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images The Metropolitan Division got a bit of an overhaul this offseason. I know I’m not breaking any news here, as this site and plenty of other outlets have discussed the changes in the Metro since the end of this past seaso

DENVER, CO - MAY 3: Defenseman Cale Makar (8) of the Colorado Avalanche scores on goaltender Jesper Wallstedt (30) of the Minnesota Wild during the third period of Game 1 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sunday, May 3, 2026, at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) | Denver Post via Getty Images Colorado Avalanche NewsAvalanche Storytime: The Kariya-Selanne fiasco. [DNVR]Makar hopefully isn’t the only offseason ext

According to Puckpedia, the dates for all NHL arbitration hearings have been set, and the only Montreal Canadiens player who elected for arbitration, Kirby Dach, will have his hearing on July 30. This is the second-to-last day of hearings, and it allows another 17 days for the two parties to reach an agreement beforehand. As previously reported, the Albertan decided to file for arbitration after the Habs gave him a two-way qualifying offer that included a $4M NHL salary and an AHL salary in the