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Sharks Sign Oliver Wahlstrom To PTO, AHL Deal

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5:45 PM: The AHL’s San Jose Barracuda have announced Wahlstrom has signed a minor-league deal with the club. That will serve as his fallback, should he not earn an NHL deal out of camp.

4:15 PM: The San Jose Sharks will soon sign winger Oliver Wahlstrom to a professional try-out contract, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. The report was later confirmed by PuckPedia. Pagnotta points out that Wahlstrom will have an AHL deal to fall back on, should he not earn an NHL contract. He was previously an unrestricted free agent after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Boston Bruins at the start of the summer.

Wahlstrom played his first games outside of the New York Islanders organization midway through last season. After six years of failed attempts to earn an everyday role in the top-nine, the Islanders made the decision to place Wahlstrom on waivers in mid-December. He was claimed by the Bruins the next day, and stuck with Boston for the rest of year, even clearing waivers with the club in February. Wahlstrom split his time between the NHL and AHL Bruins, beginning with 16 games in Boston where he racked up two points and 28 penalty minutes in a bottom-six role. He looked much more electric in 26 games with the Providence Bruins to close the year, netting 19 points and 14 penalty minutes in total.

But even in a move away from New York, Wahlstrom struggled to earn routine NHL minutes. The former 11th-overall selection has fallen a long way since making his NHL debut in 2019. He quickly struggled to score at the NHL level, with 12 goals and 21 points in 44 games of his rookie season standing as the highest scoring pace of Wahlstrom’s pro career. He posted a career-high 13 goals and 24 points in 73 games of his second NHL season, but fell to menial scoring and routine healthy scratches soon after that.

The Islanders rotated Wahlstrom around the lineup, but couldn’t find the right match for his flashy puck-skills and hard shot. Those traits did come to life during his stint with Providence at the end of last season, though. That fact commanded the attention of AHL clubs looking for a boost in scoring. It’s also commanded the attention of one of the NHL’s true bottom-feeders. San Jose is looking to bring in as much veteran presence and leadership as they can, to help guide a roster that’s sure to be one of the youngest in the league. Wahlstrom will be in direct competition for minutes with young wingers like Collin Graf, Ty Dellandrea, Philipp Kurashev, and Quentin Musty. Each of those players face the test of proving they can stick in the NHL. The Sharks will be the beneficiaries of that competition, whether through awarding rookies strong minutes or finding the positives out of struggling veterans. They’ll hope Wahlstrom can be the one to emerge above the rest, and finally bank on his long-lauded potential.

Denton Mateychuk, Four Others Injured To Start Blue Jackets Training Camp

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have plans to ease top defense prospect Denton Mateychuk up to speed at the start of training camp as he recovers from a groin injury, per general manager Don Waddell in a recent conversation with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. Portzline added that forwards Jordan Dumais (lower-body) and Max McCue (undisclosed) will both be day-to-day with injury, forward Owen Sillinger (knee) will be held out of contact all camp, and defenseman Luca Marrelli (shoulder) will be out until December. All five players are listed on Columbus’ training camp roster.

This news will make Mateychuk worth that much more attention at this year’s camp. He was generally injury-free during his first pro season, which spanned 27 AHL games and 45 NHL games last season. Mateychuk posted four goals and 13 points in a Blue Jackets jersey, along with 25 points in the minor-leagues. It was an incredibly productive year for the 2022 12th-overall selection, and one that sets him up well to break into the NHL full-time this season. Mateychuk will boast clear top-four upside when he lands with the Blue Jackets, after averaging 18 minutes of ice time last season. He should be a strong option to play behind top defender Zach Werenski, and next to shutdown defender Ivan Provorov.

Columbus’ remaining injuries will help shape the minor-league roster to start the year. Sillinger held a prominent role in the AHL and seems near the top of Columbus’ call-up sheet entering the new year, though he’ll need to fully recover from a late-season injury before he can prove his NHL worthiness. Marrelli and Dumais have each signed their entry-level contracts, though only Marrelli will be eligible to return to the CHL. That will be his likeliest outcome, while Dumais will look to fully stride into the pro ranks after netting 11 points in 21 AHL games last season. Dumais should sit atop the AHL lineup next season, while McCue – another first-year pro who recorded eight points and 122 penalty minutes in 46 AHL games last season – will sit near the bottom of the lineup.

Canadiens Discussing Extension For Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton

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The Montreal Canadiens are working on contract extensions for general manager Kent Hughes and executive vice president Jeff Gorton, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. Gorton’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, while Hughes is signed through the 2026-27 season, per reports from Sportsnet.

The duo has led Montreal down the course of a rapid rebuild, from the point of three last-place finishes in the Atlantic Division to a surprise playoff bid at the end of last season. That surge has been entirely driven by the additions Hughes has made to the Canadiens lineup. Emerging star defenseman Lane Hutson and 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky – both brought in by Hughes – ranked third and fourth on the team in scoring last season. Hutson even earned the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie, after becoming just the second rookie defender to ever reach 60 assists. One of the two players to outscore the young stars was top winger Cole Caufield, who Hughes inked to a lucrative eight-year, $62.8MM contract extension in the summer of 2023.

Solidifying the core pieces of a lineup capable of a playoff push would be enough to earn any rookie GM a new deal. But it’s Hughes’ brazen confidence in making moves that’s truly stood apart from the rest. He continued to make notable additions throughout this summer, on the heels of a big year. Hughes acquired top defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders in June, and acquired former first-round pick Zachary Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues on the heels of a 19-goal season. Both additions could have major ramifications on the Canadiens’ lineup next season. Dobson – who posted 70 points in the 2023-24 season – should find a comfortable role at the top of Montreal’s depth chart; while Bolduc will offer a reliable goal-scoring punch from the third-line.

Hughes’ sheer confidence is most readily apparent in the draft. He’s already landed a draft-day steal for the ages in the young Hutson, who fell to 62nd-overall in 2022 despite being lauded as a first-round talent to many public scouts. Hughes also drafted highly-acclaimed goalie prospect Jacob Fowler, NHL legacy centerman Aatos Koivu, and highly-skilled but undersized dynamo L.J. Mooney in the middle-rounds of the last three drafts. He also landed superstar Russian scorer Ivan Demidov with the fifth-overall pick in 2024. Many fans have already questioned how Demidov slipped to the end of the top-five, and he’ll be a front-runner for the Calder Trophy this season, after posting 49 points in 65 KHL games last summer.

No matter how the 2025-26 season goes, it seems hard to deny that Montreal is headed for a bright future. The Canadiens’ roster is expected to enter the season with the youngest average age in the league after having the second-youngest team last year. Despite that, they’ll be popular underdog candidates to break into the postseason once again next summer. A big year out of Hutson, Demidov, and even AHL starter Fowler could go far in showing Hughes what pieces he’ll be working with throughout the next decade. Then, a hardy extension from the Montreal ownership will ensure he stays connected to what he’s built. So long as they stay at the helm, Hughes and Gorton will face the difficult task of extending Hutson, Kirby Dach, and Patrik Laine among others next summer.

Hall Of Fame Goaltender Ed Giacomin Passes Away At 86

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Legendary New York Rangers goaltender Ed Giacomin has passed away at the age of 86. He blazed through a highly-successful NHL career from 1965 to 1978, split between 10 years with the Rangers and three years with the Detroit Red Wings. Giacomin was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame in 1987. The Rangers’ retired his jersey number, No. 1, two years later.

Giacomin began his professional career in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) in 1959, and more formally in the early days of the AHL in 1960. He earned the Providence Reds’ starting role in his very first season, and quickly took on a full workload – up to 69 games in the 1963-64 season. After four years of successful play in the minors, Giacomin joined the New York Rangers for the 1965-66 season, and became an NHL standout nearly right away.

He posted an 8-19-7 record and .883 save percentage in his NHL rookie season – his only negative record in a Rangers jersey. New York offered him a brief stint as the starter from November to January of his first year, a role that Giacomin would take over fully in the 1966-67 campaign. He led the league with 68 starts that season, and earned an All-Star bid on the back of a 30-27-11 record and .917 save percentage. Those marks, complimented by an incredible nine shutouts, earned Giacomin a second-place finish in Hart Memorial Trophy voting in 1967. He was only beat out by Stan Mikita, but still became the first goalie to rank in the top-three of Hart voting since Terry Sawchuk finished third in 1963, and Jacques Plante won the award in 1962.

A near-MVP finish cemented Giacomin as a pillar of the Rangers lineup. He rivaled 70 games a season through 1970. He posted wins in at least half of his games and a save percentage north of .910 in every year. Those numbers held high even as his starts began to dwindle entering his 30s. Giacomin posted a 27-10-7 record, .922 save percentage, and eight shutouts in the 1970-71 season – enough to win the Vezina Trophy alongside batterymate Gilles Villemure. His role would continue to dwindle through 1975.

New York opted to place him on waivers ahead of the 1975-76 season. The Red Wings, looking for a backup to fellow Hall Of Fame goaltender Jim Rutherford, placed a claim. With that, Giacomin wrapped up his career with three seasons in a menial role in Detroit.

Giacomin retired in 1978. He concluded with a 290-209-96 record and .902 save percentage through 610 games, and 13 seasons, in the NHL. Despite multiple years of Hart Trophy votes, and five years of All-Star bids, Giacomin’s Vezina win marked the only hardware of his career. He did, however, leave behind a lasting legacy on the scoresheet – boasting the second-most shutouts (54) and third-most wins (290) of any goalie between 1960 and 1980. His only rivals in the  record books were Tony Esposito and Bernie Parent. Chants of “Eddie, Eddie, Eddie” rang loud through the early days of hockey at Madison Square Garden. His brazen athleticism and steady focus were the calling cards of a career later enshrined by the NHL.

Giacomin continued to fill roles in the hockey world after retirement. He served as the New York Islanders’ broadcaster for the 1978-79 season, and spent multiple years as an assistant coach and goalie coach for both the Rangers and Red Wings. He was only the second player to have his number retired by the Rangers.

Blue Jackets Will Re-Invite A Few Rookies To Training Camp

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The good times will keep on rolling for a select few prospects invited to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ rookie camp. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic relays that the team is planning to invite three to five non-roster, rookie camp invitees back to their training camp when it begins this week. The team’s hockey operations department will make decisions on who those few players will be on the bus ride home from the Buffalo Sabres’ Prospects Challenge.

Columbus’ rookie camp roster contained 10 invitees who weren’t previously drafted by the team. The list is led by high-impact collegiate prospects, including Wisconsin Badgers forward Rylan Mosley and Denver Pioneers defenseman Boston Buckberger. Mosley scored at a point-per-game pace through 37 games last season, while offering the prerequisite two-way, physical play required in a Mike Hastings lineup. Buckberger was equally as impactful for his squad, netting 30 points in 41 games while serving as the downhill punch behind the Pioneers’ star defenders. Both players could reasonably carve out low-grade, pro roles as soon as next season. Columbus also invited Michigan forward Joshua Eernisse, Michigan Tech forward Isaac Gordon, and Union forward Tom Richter, who achieved varying levels of college success last season.

The Blue Jackets also invited former scout’s favorite Pano Fimis, who went unselected through eligibility in the 2023, 2024, and 2025 drafts. Fimis was a focal point of the Erie Otters’ offense over the last two seasons, and managed encouraging results – including 32 goals and 86 points in 68 games this season. But he could never prove dynamic enough away from the puck to wow NHL scouts. His rookie camp showings couldn’t be categorized as disappointing, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see Columbus gauge the 21-year-old’s AHL-readiness after scoring 253 points in 245 games and five seasons in the OHL. Fimis was the second-overall pick in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection Draft and is currently committed to attend the University of Notre Dame next season.

Snapshots: Denisenko, World Cup, Perreault, Robins

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Although he decided to return home and play in the KHL this season, winger Grigori Denisenko hasn’t given up on playing in North America just yet.  In an interview with Championat’s Lev Lukin, the 25-year-old indicated his dream is still to get back to the NHL.  He hasn’t spent much time there lately, however, getting into just seven NHL games over the past two seasons with Vegas.  He spent most of last season in the minors with Henderson and Milwaukee, collecting 17 goals and 21 assists in 65 games and rather than accepting a two-way deal as a Group Six unrestricted free agent and likely starting in the minors again, he’ll try to work his way back with a big season with Ak Bars Kazan.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Speaking to reporters including NHL.com’s Dan Rosen at the media tour earlier this week, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly provided an update on the 2028 World Cup of Hockey. They have whittled through expressions of interest from both North American and European cities and are about to begin the bidding process.  The belief is that there will be round-robin games on both continents before moving to North America only for the medal round.  Daly added that while they hope to have a qualifying round down the road, that won’t be in place for this particular event.
  • UFA winger Jacob Perreault has a team for the upcoming season as the Bruins’ AHL team in Providence announced that they’ve signed him to a one-year deal. The 23-year-old was a first-round pick by Anaheim in 2020, going 27th overall but he has struggled considerably in the pros.  Last season, he spent time with Montreal and Edmonton’s farm teams, collecting just three goals and 11 assists in 44 games, leading to a non-tender in late June.  Perreault has made one NHL appearance, that coming back in 2021-22.
  • After being non-tendered by Ottawa this summer, unrestricted free agent winger Tristen Robins has reportedly found a place to play. Inside AHL Hockey’s Tony Androckitis reports (Twitter link) that the 23-year-old is set to sign in Czechia with Kladno.  Robins was a 2020 second-round pick by San Jose and was moved to the Sens as part of the Fabian Zetterlund trade at the deadline.  Robins played in 56 AHL games last year, picking up eight goals and 16 assists.  He has three career NHL games under his belt back in the 2022-23 season.

Metro Notes: Sillinger, Foerster, Flyers Rookies, Kolosov

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Columbus Blue Jackets center prospect Owen Sillinger is expected to return from a February knee surgery early into the 2025-26 season, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. The Blue Jackets will hold him out of contact throughout the preseason to help ensure that target, general manager Don Waddell told Portzline.

Waddell’s wording suggests that Sillinger will begin ramping up his contact at practice beginning in the regular season. That timeline could make a return in the final week of October, or early November, a feasible target. He is almost certain to start the year on the AHL roster, after potting 11 goals and 29 points in a top-six role with the Cleveland Monsters last summer. That will be no slight to Sillinger though. He has served an important role on the Monsters throughout the last three seasons – and scored 11 goals in each year, despite fewer games every seasons. There will be a spot in the top-six held for Sillinger when he returns, and a hot return could quickly push him up Columbus’ call-up chart. If he gets moved to the NHL, he’ll regroup with younger brother Cole Sillinger, who has filled a role in the Blue Jackets’ top-nine for the last four seasons. Owen made his NHL debut last season, in a game that Cole sat out of due to injury.

Other notes from around the Metropolitan Division:

  • Philadelphia Flyers forward Tyson Foerster is still on pace to be ready for the start of the season, president of hockey operations Keith Jones shared with Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports. Foerster sustained an elbow injury that got infected and required surgery while playing for Team Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Championship. He was the second-highest goal-scorer on the Flyers last season, with his 25 goals in 81 games falling one short of Matvei Michkov’s team-leading total. Foerster seems set to return to a top-six role throughout Philadelphia’s 2025-26 season. With this news, the Flyers can rest assured that he’s tracking to begin making that impact right out of the gates.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers are confident that rookies Oliver Bonk, Denver Barkey, and Jett Luchanko will be ready for the start of training camp despite summer injuries, per Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Spiegel points out that Luchanko faced a groin injury, Barkey faced a high ankle sprain, and Bonk faced bumps and bruises after a long 2024-25 season. All three players could have shots at making the 2025-26 roster. Luchanko made the Flyers out of training camp last season before returning to the OHL, while Barkey and Bonk went on runs to a Memorial Cup championship with the London Knights last season.
  • During his press conference, “Jonesy” also shared that the Flyers are confident they’ll have goaltender Aleksei Kolosov at training camp this year, again captured by O’Connor. Kolosov spent the 2024-25 season split between the NHL and AHL rosters, after playing through his fourth and final season in the KHL in the year prior. Kolosov posted an .867 save percentage in 17 NHL games, and an .884 in 12 AHL games. He posted five wins in both leagues. It seems he’d be a reasonable bet to start the season as the AHL starter, though O’Connor points out that there’s no telling where his camp performance could land him. He’ll likely be competing with Samuel Ersson and Daniel Vladař for NHL minutes.

Blues’ Zach Dean Enters NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program

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St. Louis Blues prospect Zach Dean has entered the NHL/NHLPA Player’s Assistance Program and will be out indefinitely, per a release from the NHL Public Relations department. The announcement mentions that Dean will not be eligible to return to the ice until he is fully cleared by program administrators. This will likely hold him out of the duration of St. Louis’ training camp and the start of the regular season.

Dean is a former first-round pick, hearing his name called by the Vegas Golden Knights with the 30th pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. He was coming off a promising, albeit shortened, QMJHL season that he spent the next two years vindicating. Dean graduated from the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques after the 2022-23 season, having accrued 188 points in 177 games, and four seasons, in the league. By that time, Vegas had traded Dean to the Blues in a one-for-one exchange for NHL winger Ivan Barbashev.

That move pushed Dean to start his career in the Blues’ minor-league system. He joined the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds for the 2023-24 season, and began a slow process of climbing his way up the organization’s depth chart. He only scored one point in his first 11 pro games, but managed to pull things together enough to total 14 points in 49 games by the end of the year. That was just enough to push the Blues to call-up Dean for the first nine games of his NHL career towards the end of a lost season. He didn’t manage any scoring in the spot starts, and returned to the minors for the 2024-25 season.

Dean seemed ready to repeat his climb towards an NHL call-up, but ended up outside of the lineup after just three games due to a nagging, undisclosed injury. He returned in late-January, after a three-month absence, but was reinjured after just six games back. That forced Dean out until late-April, and ultimately limited his season to just four points in 11 games. The uptick in scoring was an encouraging sign, but it now seems Dean will need a little longer to get back into the right mindset after a difficult season. He’ll have all the time he needs in the NHL/NHLPA Player’s Assistance Program, and will look to show St. Louis the responsible, two-way playmaking style that earned him a first-round selection on the other side. Dean should return to Springfield’s middle-six at some point this season.

Rangers Hire Ryane Clowe, Promote Jim Sullivan And Ryan Martin

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The New York Rangers have hired former player Ryane Clowe to the role of assistant general manager. He will join the freshly-promoted Ryan Martin and Jim Sullivan in the role of advising and supporting Rangers’ general manager Chris Drury. Martin will continue serving as the general manager of the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. This announcement comes on the heels of New York also hiring Blake Wheeler, Chris Pryor, Mark Flood, and Darryl Williams to various roles.

This news comes on the heels of Clowe’s sudden, and surprising, resignation from the San Jose Sharks’ assistant GM role. That was the first GM position of Clowe’s career, and one he moved into last summer after serving three years in a consulting and advising role with the Rangers. Now, with his feet wet, Clowe will return for a hardier role in the New York organization. He’s no stranger to the Rangers, having played 12 games with the club in 2012-13 and, more notably, played across from them in his 56 games with the New Jersey Devils from 2013 to 2015. Clowe has been around the NHL for the entirety of the 2000’s, and racked up a lofty resume in and around the league. His playing career ended in 2015 with 309 points in 491 games.

Sullivan also has deep roots with the Rangers. He began his career with the club as their director of hockey technology in 2009. That role evolved into the director of player development from 2014 to 2021. Then, Sulivan earned another promotion to the title of vice president of hockey strategy that he’s served in ever since. Now, he’ll climb one rung further up the ladder, and truly begin building a resume that could land him in a team’s GM chair one day. It’s an impressive climb, especially considering that Sullivan – an economics major – has no history playing professional sports. Still outside of his 50’s, Sullivan will stand as an emerging piece in New York’s front office.

Meanwhile, Martin has been promoted to associate general manager – one rung above both Clowe and Sullivan. Martin has served as Hartford’s general manager since the 2021-22 season. He has led the team to two playoff appearances in four seasons, and presided over the turnover of three head coaches. Martin’s biggest accomplishments came prior to his time in New York. He was once a core piece of the Detroit Red Wings’ front office, and served as GM of the Grand Rapids Griffins from 2012 to 2020. He won the AHL’s Calder Cup in 2013 and 2017 with Grand Rapids, and even joined Detroit on their run to the 2008 Stanley Cup as the team’s director of hockey administration. Martin’s trophy cabinet is rounded out by a Gold Medal at the 2021 World Junior Championships, when he supported Team USA as a scout. He’ll bring that lofty experience back to New York next year, looking to have even more say on a team in the midst of a big turnaround.

Ryane Clowe Steps Down From Sharks’ Assistant GM Role

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In a surprising bit of news, former NHL forward Ryane Clowe has announced he has resigned from the San Jose Sharks’ assistant general manager role. Last season was Clowe’s first in a role with the Sharks front office. In a statement released through the Sharks social media, Clowe said:

I truly loved being back in San Jose and working with Mike Grier and his entire team, but at this point, this decision is in the best interest of my family. The franchise has an exciting future ahead and is set up to be successful for a long period of time…

Last summer, Clowe returned to the Sharks organization for the first time since 2013. His last tenure with the Sharks spanned 12 years, beginning with a sixth-round selection in the 2001 NHL Draft. Clowe moved to the Sharks’ pro ranks two seasons later, joining the AHL’s Cleveland Barons in the 2003-04 season. He was an instant force – netting 102 points and 198 penalty minutes over his first two seasons, and 146 games, in the minor-leagues. That earned him a full-time role in the NHL by 2006, and Clowe quickly became a core piece of the San Jose roster. He rivaled 50 points and 100 penalty minutes in every season between 2008 and 2012 – and served as the club’s assistant captain for the latter three years.

His time with San Jose came to a close when he was controversially traded to the New York Rangers for a heap of draft picks in 2013. Clowe didn’t find the same groove with the Rangers, and couldn’t rediscover it with a move to the New Jersey Devils later in his career. He played his final NHL game in 2015 and joined the Devils as an assistant coach in 2016.

Clowe worked backwards with his playing days behind him. He served two years on the Devils’ bench, before serving three in a team consultant and senior advisor position with the Rangers, and then moving to the Sharks last summer.

Now, Clowe steps away from important roles with San Jose’s  NHL and AHL rosters. His duties will likely be distributed among fellow assistant GMs Joe Will and Tom Holy, unless the Sharks opt to hire a replacement. At the time, it’s not clear why Clowe chose to step away from the Sharks, though it’d be hard to imagine he stays away from the sport for too long. Clowe recorded 309 points and 618 penalty minutes in 491 games, and 13 seasons, in his NHL career. He’s pushed through six more NHL seasons in a staff position.

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