Western Notes: Sharks, Celebrini, Landeskog
The Sharks were also without right-winger Patrick Giles and defenseman Lucas Carlsson due to injury. Giles (lower-body) is still recovering from an offseason surgery that is expected to hold him out week-to-week, while Carlsson (lower-body) is day-to-day, per Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. Both players are returning to the Sharks organization this season. Giles played eight games in both the NHL and AHL, before getting shut down by his injury. He scored four goals with the Barracuda and one goal with the Sharks. Carlsson stuck around a bit more – scoring 23 points in 45 games with the Barracuda, and four points in 13 games with the Sharks. It was the second-longest stint he’s had in the NHL, behind the 40 games he played with the Florida Panthers in the 2021-22 campaign. Both players will fight for top-end roles in the AHL when they’re back to full health.
Other notes from the Western Conference:
- Star San Jose Sharks centerman Macklin Celebrini missed practice on Friday due to illness, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. It was Celebrini’s second absence, after his illness was initially revealed on Thursday. There seems to be no concerns over his ability to play through the preseason, which will keep the second-year pro on track to return to a major role in the Sharks offense. Celebrini scored 63 points in 70 games last season – setting San Jose’s franchise record for the highest-scoring rookie season.
- Colorado Avalanche fans shouldn’t expect to see captain Gabriel Landeskog on the practice sheet tomorrow. Head coach Jared Bednar told the media that Landeskog will have a scheduled day-off, per Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports. It’s a sensible plan as the 32-year-old continues to work his way back from a long-term, lower-body injury. He played his first games since 2022 back in April, racking up four points in five postseason appearances. The 2025-26 season will mark Landeskog’s first chance to make a return that will stick and, hopefully, rack up strong scoring to boot. In his three most recent regular season appearances, Landeskog scored 59 points in 51 games; 52 points in 54 games; and 44 points in 54 games respectively. That level of lofty playmaking could prove to be an X-factor for Colorado.
Oilers Targeting November Return For Zach Hyman
Top Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman will need just a bit longer to recover from the wrist fracture he sustained in the 2025 Western Conference Finals. In speaking with reporters ahead of training camp on Thursday, head coach Kris Knoblauch shared that Hyman’s goal will be to return by November 1st, per TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. That will set Hyman up to miss the first 12 games of the Oilers’ season. The high-scoring winger spoke more in-depth about his injury during an extended press conference this morning.
An extended absence is no way to start a season, especially for Hyman – who hasn’t played fewer than 73 games in a single season in any of his four years with the Edmonton Oilers. He has been a pillar of lineup consistency and averaged over 19:30 in ice time through 308 games with the Oilers. He’s averaged a lofty 38 goals per 82 games played with Edmonton, leaving the Oilers with a major hole to fill right out of the gate.
Who will step up will become the question to be answered at training camp. Top Oilers prospects Matthew Savoie and Ike Howard seem poised to break camp with the team, but their readiness to fill a top-line role has yet to be proven. Superstar centers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl could mitigate those concerns – and give the reigning Hobey Baker Award-winner, Howard, and the second-highest Bakersfield Condors scorer, Savoie, a chance to show their full potential.
If not one of their top prospects, Edmonton could also turn towards the veteran presence of a player like Andrew Mangiapane. Mangiapane is in his first season with the Oilers after spending last year racking up 28 points in 81 games with the Washington Capitals. He brings 498 games, and 243 points, worth of NHL experience – though has never filled a consistent top-line role.
Sharks Sign Oliver Wahlstrom To PTO, AHL Deal
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
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
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.
Mathew Barzal Ready For Islanders Training Camp
Star New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal will be ready for full involvement in the team’s upcoming training camp, per a recent interview with Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. He will return after missing 52 games of last season with an upper-body injury early in the year, and a season-ending knee-injury in February. Barzal told Rosner that he’s embraced a strong mindset in the wake of the significant injury. He said:
When you have an injury like the one I did, you can go two ways with it mentally. You can kinda sulk in it, let it kinda own you. And it did early on… but then you flip a switch and you put everything into rehab and getting better. Mentally, it’s just a matter of doing whatever it takes to get back to being the player I was
Barzal performed like New York’s top forward through the mix of injuries last year. He began the season with five points in 10 games, while averaging more than 21 minutes a night, before injury forced him to miss all of November and the first half of December. He returned to scoring quickly once he was back to full health, netting 15 points in 20 games between December 15th and February 1st. But an injury sustained on a blocked shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning proved too much to overcome. What was initially prognosed as a six-week injury turned into a minor surgery that required all summer to recover from. His season ended with six goals and 20 points in 30 games, or an 82-game scoring pace of 55 points.
An injury-riddled season was the last thing Barzal needed after reclaiming the Islanders’ scoring title in the 2023-24 season. He scored 23 goals and 80 points in as many games that year, marking the most Barzal had scored since he posted 85 points in his Calder Trophy-winning season in 2017-18. That performance was, itself, a solid comeback season after Barzal missed 24 games of the 2022-23 season with a separate knee injury. He had scored 51 points in 58 games prior to that injury.
Excitement for Barzal’s return will be a feeling shared by team, fans, and player. The 28-year-old told Rosner that he would be open to playing throughout the lineup, and mentioned that he enjoyed playing on the wing of Bo Horvat. Barzal shared roughly 71 percent of his ice time with Horvat between 2023 and 2025. Together, the two were on-ice for a tremendous 121-to-70 goal differential and 115-to-76 expected goal differential, per NaturalStatTrick. Horvat dropped to a negative goal-differential (83-to-109) in his minutes away from Barzal, likely speaking to the Islanders’ odds of reconnecting the duo next season.
Then again, New York wields a much sharper lineup than when Barzal last played. The squad, commanded by rookie general manager Mathieu Darche, has reeled in multiple new faces – including Jonathan Drouin, Maxim Shabanov, and Emil Heineman. All three forwards offer interesting upside, and wing depth, that could better define Barzal’s long-term role at either center or wing. One of the three will likely join him on the team’s top power-play unit as well. Those changes, plus the excitement of 2025 first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer, will bring Barzal to a Islanders lineup with much more upside than the one that he left behind last season.
Hall Of Fame Goaltender Ed Giacomin Passes Away At 86
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.
Evening Notes: Evangelista, Canadiens Rookies, Cootes
Negotiations between winger Luke Evangelista and the Nashville Predators have begun to stall per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, who reports that yearly salary is what’s created the wedge. Evangelista is one of the top unsigned restricted free agents after players like Connor Zary and Marco Rossi both found new deals. The 23-year-old Evangelista posted an impressive 10 goals and 32 points in 68 games last season. It was a suitable encore to the 16 goals and 39 points he posted in 80 games of the 2023-24 season.
A pair of successful scoring seasons would surely make the player’s camp confident in earning a hardy salary. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger recently signed a two-year, $4.5MM contract extension, while New Jersey Devils forward Dawson Mercer recently signed a three-year, $12MM contract. Those could be the boundaries for a short-term, bridge contract for Evangelista, who has certainly proved he can stick in Nashville’s top nine. Should contract talks continue to stall, the Predators could opt for a one-year, sub-$1MM contract and kick negotiations back to next summer.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Montreal Canadiens have assigned a group of rookies back to their respective leagues after rookie camp came to a close. In turn, Montreal assigned defensemen Carlos Handel to the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, Andrew MacNiel to the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, and Bryce Pickford to the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. Goaltenders Arseny Radkov and Mikus Vecvanags will return to Russia and Latvia, respectively. The team has also returned a handful of rookie camp invites. All of the moves come as expected, though it rings as exciting news for fans of Medicine Hat and Halifax, as their top defenders return for another season.
- Top Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes was absent from the team’s final rookie camp scrimmage on Sunday, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic. Drance later added that Cootes was held out for precautionary reasons and will still attend training camp next week. That will keep the reigning 15th overall pick on track to take his first crack at breaking into the NHL. Cootes had a strong season with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds last year. He dominated the middle of the ice with quick plays all year long, working up to 63 points and 60 games in total. Cootes seems most likely set for a return to Seattle next season, though a strong training camp could earn him the chance at sticking in the pros for nine games.
Blue Jackets Will Re-Invite A Few Rookies To Training Camp
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.
Brad Hunt Signs In Finland
Friday: Hunt has indeed signed with Vaasan Sport with the team announcing that he has signed a one-year contract.
Monday: Longtime pro defenseman Brad Hunt is expected to take his career overseas for the first time next season. He is set to sign with Vaasan Sport of Finland’s Liiga, per Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey. Hunt recently concluded his 14th season in the North American pros. His only rich experience with playing in Europe came during the spring of 2023, when he joined Team Canada for the World Championships, which were played in Latvia that year.
Hunt, 37, has already built up a career worth being proud of. He was originally overlooked in the NHL Draft – the consequence of being a 5-foot-9 defenseman – but earned a pro contract after four strong years at Bemidji State University. Hunt made his AHL debut in 2012 and quickly looked the part of a strong play-driver.
He played his way into three NHL appearances with the Edmonton Oilers in 2013-14, coupled with a breakout performance in the AHL that saw him post 50 points in 66 games. Hunt continued that pace – great AHL scoring mixed in with a handful of NHL starts – through the 2016-17 season.
Hunt seemed doomed to the role of fringe-NHL defenseman until 2017-18, when the Vegas Golden Knights operated with him on the NHL roster for the whole season. Hunt stepped into 45 games and scored 18 points that year, enough to earn him a solid NHL role for the next four seasons, even through moves to the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks.
He didn’t return to the AHL until the 2022-23 season, when he donned the captaincy for the Colorado Eagles and scored 21 points in 24 games. Hunt served an additional year as the Eagles’ captain before moving to the Hershey Bears last season. He scored just 19 points in 41 games with Hershey last year, though he managed a lofty 49 points in 70 games in the 2023-24 season.
Hunt now sits with 86 points in 288 games, and 10 seasons, in the NHL and 298 points in 422 games, and nine seasons, in the AHL. He will now take that deep resume to one of Finland’s emerging clubs. Vaasan finished last season ranked 11th out of the Liiga’s 16 teams. They struggled to consistently drive up the scoring, which is something that the puck-moving Hunt should be able to directly address.