Jett Luchanko To Make Flyers’ Opening Night Roster
For the second straight season, 2024 No. 13 overall pick Jett Luchanko will break camp with the Flyers, general manager Daniel Brière told reporters, including Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports.
Last year, Luchanko’s stay was brief. The 5’11” center was freshly 18 and only made four appearances, going pointless with a -3 rating, before the club returned him to the OHL’s Guelph Storm by the end of October. The situation might be the same this time around, Brière cautioned. He said that Luchanko making the team “doesn’t mean he’ll stay all year” and that he “has to earn his ice time,” according to O’Connor.
While those kinds of comments would generally mean a loan to the minors for a prospect in need of ice time, that’s not something the Flyers can do. Luchanko is still 19 and, according to the terms of the NHL’s transfer agreement with the three CHL leagues, must be returned to Guelph if he’s not on the Flyers’ active roster, unless it’s for a conditioning stint. Brière told O’Connor that the club’s wanting to keep Luchanko with their own development staff for longer, rather than sending him to the Storm, was a factor.
Luchanko was a late riser in the 2024 class, but Philly is still happy with their selection one year on. A non-top-10 pick making the team out of camp in his post-draft year is a rarity and a testament to Luchanko’s pro readiness, at least in the eyes of the Flyers’ staff. After the Flyers returned him to Guelph last year, he assumed the captaincy and dominated offensively with a 21-35–56 scoring line in 41 games on one of the league’s worst squads.
Luchanko is technically still a rookie because he played under 25 games last season. He’ll be one of two rookie forwards to break camp with the club alongside winger Nikita Grebenkin, who Philadelphia acquired from the Maple Leafs in last year’s Scott Laughton trade. The latter could be the beneficiary of greater ice time out of the gate – he’s spent a good chunk of camp as a wingman for Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny and could get a long look in the top six to begin the season as a result.
Latest On Lane Hutson
While there isn’t a significant gap between the Canadiens and pending RFA defenseman Lane Hutson in extension talks, the two sides are expected to pause dialogue for a while after what Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet described as an “emotional” recent round of negotiations on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast.
The base-level framework of a deal isn’t a point of contention. Both sides are amenable to a max-term, eight-year deal. They aren’t far off on the cap hit, either – both are within the range of $9MM per season, although Friedman believes both player and team have a little more to give to get to that point.
The hangup is instead on the “philosophy” of how Montreal is trying to get Hutson the most after-tax dollars while keeping his cap hit below eight digits, Friedman reports. Late last week, Marco D’Amico of RG took a deep dive into what mechanisms the Habs have to limit his cap impact, aside from his relative lack of leverage as a pending 10.2(c) RFA who can’t sign an offer sheet and isn’t arbitration-eligible. In there, he mentions a Canada-specific tool to lower the amount of cash Hutson loses to taxes – a Retirement Compensation Agreement (RCA) trust. However, it appears Hutson’s camp isn’t sold entirely on those benefits being as major as Montreal is trying to sell in talks.
An RCA agreement allows a player to defer up to 49% of their salary – delaying earnings but retaining more of them. The deferred money isn’t taxed at its usual rate, which can exceed 50% in Canada for top NHL earners. Whatever is deferred is split in half, with one half going to a refundable deposit with Canada’s tax agency and the other half going into the trust. After an American player (i.e., Hutson) retires and returns to the United States, they receive the deposit back with no tax deducted. In contrast, withdrawals from the trust are taxed at American federal and state rates, which are often lower than the rates the player would pay in Canada.
In any event, it’s likely the Habs are on track to operate without an eight-figure AAV on their books for the foreseeable future, barring a UFA splash. The only deal they ever signed in franchise history with a cap hit north of $10MM was Carey Price‘s eight-year, $84MM extension in 2017. They just traded the final year of that contract to the Sharks to remove themselves from LTIR and to provide San Jose with added cap clearance over the floor. Price hasn’t played in over three years and will not play again due to a knee injury.
A $9MM cap hit is directly in line with what Ducks defender Jackson LaCombe just landed on his extension and is what Luke Hughes landed from the Devils as a 10.2(c) RFA this offseason. Hughes is the more direct comparable – while LaCombe’s stats are less impressive, he’s far older and the contract buys out six years of UFA eligibility. An eight-year extension for Hutson would only swallow up three of them.
Whether the Habs can continue to develop Hutson’s all-around game to make him a true cornerstone No. 1 remains to be seen. Still, the diminutive 21-year-old is coming off one of the more impressive rookie seasons in recent memory. The 5’9″ lefty took home last year’s Calder Trophy after recording a 6-60–66 scoring line in 82 games, tied for sixth in the league among defensemen and the most by a first-year rearguard since Brian Leetch‘s 71 points in 1988-89.
Islanders Reassign Isaiah George, Matthew Schaefer Will Make Team
The Islanders have reassigned defenseman Isaiah George to AHL Bridgeport, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports. As a result, their active roster now stands at 23 players and is cap-compliant for opening night.
Since the club didn’t place anyone on waivers yesterday, their options to get down to the 23-player limit for their active roster by this evening’s deadline were limited. Only three waiver-exempt players remained on their roster: George and a pair of rookies in winger Maxim Shabanov and defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the first overall pick in this year’s draft. Shabanov, an international free agent signing out of Russia’s Traktor Chelyabinsk in July, has been a virtual opening-night lock since the beginning of camp, meaning today’s decision essentially came down to George and Schaefer.
Schaefer was the widely expected winner on the heels of a spectacular preseason showing for the mobile lefty, who’s only one month removed from his 18th birthday. He made four exhibition appearances and averaged north of 22 minutes per game, recording two assists, eight shots on goal, and four hits. While the Isles were outscored 3-1 with Schaefer on the ice at 5-on-5, his possession metrics were strong – controlling 59.1% of shot attempts, 60.5% of expected goals, and 56.3% of high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.
George, a 2022 fourth-rounder, unexpectedly made his way into 33 NHL games for the Isles last season, his first taste of NHL action in his first professional campaign. The 21-year-old lefty only averaged 15:39 per game and had five points with a -3 rating, but the club liked what he brought to the table and was expected to give him a long look for an opening-night job this year.
He didn’t show out nearly as well as Schaefer did in training camp, though. His possession impacts were middle-of-the-pack; he only got into two games and was held off the scoresheet.
It’s rare that a No. 1 pick doesn’t break camp with his club, but when it does happen, it’s almost always a defenseman. It last happened with the Sabres’ Owen Power, who opted for another year of college in the 2021-22 campaign before turning pro. Schaefer was ineligible to go the NCAA route after signing his entry-level contract, but there was an argument to be made that he could have used additional conditioning in a more familiar junior environment. His preseason action was his first gameplay in nine months after sustaining a season-ending collarbone injury in December that limited him to 22 points in just 17 appearances with the OHL’s Erie Otters. After proving he’s back up to speed, though, the spot was his to lose.
Schaefer is expected to make his NHL debut in the Isles’ first game of the year against the Penguins on Oct. 9, likely in third-pairing duties with veteran Scott Mayfield. Those two have been partners for the vast majority of camp.
2025 NHL Training Camp Rosters
Originally published Sep. 4
The NHL’s 32 clubs are beginning their full training camps ahead of the 2025-26 regular season. They’ve all announced their full camp rosters – a list that most will need to chop in half in order to get to the 23-player roster limit by the time opening night rolls around on Oct. 7.
Players who are attending via PTOs and those who aren’t participating due to injury are listed in the total counts. This page will be updated as cuts are made – a new feature here at PHR for the 2025-26 season. This article will be continually updated as more announcements come in.
Anaheim Ducks
Roster size: 25/23
Last updated Oct. 5, 7:34 p.m.
Forwards (15): Leo Carlsson, Sam Colangelo, Cutter Gauthier, Mikael Granlund, Ross Johnston, Alex Killorn, Chris Kreider, Mason McTavish, Nikita Nesterenko, Ryan Poehling, Beckett Sennecke, Ryan Strome, Troy Terry, Frank Vatrano, Tim Washe
Defenseman (7): Radko Gudas, Drew Helleson, Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, Ian Moore, Jacob Trouba, Olen Zellweger
Goaltenders (3): Lukáš Dostál, Ville Husso, Petr Mrázek
IR: F Jansen Harkins (upper body, proj. return Nov. 22)
SOIR: F Coulson Pitre (upper body, indefinite)
Boston Bruins
Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Oct. 5, 7:37 p.m.
Forwards (14): Viktor Arvidsson, John Beecher, Michael Eyssimont, Morgan Geekie, Tanner Jeannot, Mark Kastelic, Marat Khusnutdinov, Sean Kuraly, Elias Lindholm, Fraser Minten, Casey Mittelstadt, David Pastrňák, Jeffrey Viel, Pavel Zacha
Defensemen (7): Jordan Harris, Henri Jokiharju, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Charlie McAvoy, Andrew Peeke, Nikita Zadorov
Goaltenders (2): Joonas Korpisalo, Jeremy Swayman
Buffalo Sabres
Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Oct. 5, 7:39 p.m.
Forwards (15): Zach Benson, Justin Danforth, Josh Doan, Mason Geertsen, Jordan Greenway, Tyson Kozak, Peyton Krebs, Jiri Kulich, Beck Malenstyn, Ryan McLeod, Joshua Norris, Jack Quinn, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jason Zucker
Defensemen (6): Jacob Bryson, Bowen Byram, Rasmus Dahlin, Ryan Johnson, Owen Power, Conor Timmins
Goaltenders (2): Alexandar Georgiev, Alex Lyon
IR: D Michael Kesselring (undisclosed, week-to-week), G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body, week-to-week), D Mattias Samuelsson (upper body, week-to-week)
Calgary Flames
Roster size: 24/23
Last updated: Oct. 2, 1:46 p.m.
Forwards (14): Mikael Backlund, Blake Coleman, Matthew Coronato, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Matvei Gridin, Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, Justin Kirkland, Adam Klapka, Ryan Lomberg, Martin Pospisil, Yegor Sharangovich, Connor Zary
Defensemen (8): Rasmus Andersson, Kevin Bahl, Jake Bean, Joel Hanley, Daniil Miromanov, Brayden Pachal, Zayne Parekh, MacKenzie Weegar
Goaltenders (2): Devin Cooley, Dustin Wolf
Carolina Hurricanes
Roster size: 23/23
Last update: Oct. 5, 7:41 p.m.
Forwards (13): Sebastian Aho, Jackson Blake, William Carrier, Nikolaj Ehlers, Taylor Hall, Mark Jankowski, Seth Jarvis, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jordan Martinook, Eric Robinson, Jordan Staal, Logan Stankoven, Andrei Svechnikov
Defensemen (7): Jalen Chatfield, Shayne Gostisbehere, K’Andre Miller, Alexander Nikishin, Mike Reilly, Jaccob Slavin, Sean Walker
Goaltenders (3): Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov, Brandon Bussi
SOIR: F Juha Jaaska (undisclosed, indefinite)
Training Camp Cuts: 10/4/25
Less than 72 hours remain until opening night rosters are due on Monday evening. Teams are down to their final few rounds of cuts as a result, but some have more work to do than others. We’re keeping tabs on all of today’s demotions here as clubs near their final 23-man form to open the season:
Buffalo Sabres (per team announcement)
D Radim Mrtka (to AHL Rochester)
F Noah Ostlund (to AHL Rochester)
New Jersey Devils (per team announcement)
F Thomas Bordeleau (to AHL Utica pending waiver clearance)
F Angus Crookshank (to AHL Utica pending waiver clearance)
F Brian Halonen (to AHL Utica pending waiver clearance)
F Zack MacEwen (to AHL Utica pending waiver clearance)
D Dmitry Osipov (to AHL Utica)
D Colton White (to AHL Utica pending waiver clearance)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)
D Alexander Alexeyev (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton pending waiver clearance)
F Tristan Broz (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Robby Fabbri (released from PTO)
D Ryan Graves (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton pending waiver clearance)
F Rafael Harvey-Pinard (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton pending waiver clearance)
F Avery Hayes (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Bokondji Imama (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton pending waiver clearance)
G Sergei Murashov (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Owen Pickering (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Samuel Poulin (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton pending waiver clearance)
Utah Mammoth (per team announcement)
F Cameron Hebig (to AHL Tucson pending waiver clearance)
G Matt Villalta (to AHL Tucson after clearing waivers)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per team announcement)
G Brandon Halverson (to AHL Syracuse after clearing waivers)
Vancouver Canucks (per team announcement)
F Nils Aman (to AHL Abbotsford after clearing waivers)
F Max Sasson (to AHL Abbotsford)
G Nikita Tolopilo (to AHL Abbotsford)
Winnipeg Jets (per team announcement)
G Dom DiVincentiis (to AHL Manitoba)
Wild Sign Filip Gustavsson To Five-Year Extension
The Wild have reached a five-year extension with starting goaltender Filip Gustavsson that pays him $6.8MM per season for a total value of $34MM, the club announced. He was set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer but will now remain under contract through the 2030-31 season. The contract carries a no-movement clause that takes effect immediately and lasts through the 2027-28 campaign, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. After that, it downgrades to a 15-team no-trade clause for the remainder of the deal. His take-home pay is entirely base salary with no signing bonuses, per PuckPedia. He’ll earn $8MM in 2026-27, $8.5MM in 2027-28, $7.2MM in 2028-29, $5.2MM in 2029-30, and $5.1MM in 2030-31.
In just a matter of days before the season starts, Minnesota GM Bill Guerin has removed nearly all anxiety from what was initially shaping up to be a franchise-altering free agent period next July. Both Gustavsson and franchise cornerstone Kirill Kaprizov were set to hit the open market. Guerin took care of business with the latter earlier this week by delivering the largest contract in NHL history for eight years and $136MM in total value. Now, only aging top-nine wingers Vladimir Tarasenko and Mats Zuccarello remain among the notables from the Wild’s 2026 UFA class.
Gustavsson is entering the final season of a three-year, $11.25MM deal carrying a $3.75MM cap hit that he signed as a restricted free agent in 2023. He landed that contract after a dominant platform campaign in which he broke out for a .931 SV%, 2.10 GAA, three shutouts, and a 22-9-7 record in 39 appearances.
His performance the following year, though, indicated the Wild were smart – at least initially – not to give him too much too soon. He regressed under the weight of being a primary tandem option for the first time, logging a more pedestrian .899 SV% and 3.06 GAA with a 20-18-4 record in 45 games. Considering the Wild’s reputation for having a stout defense held up in 2023-24, those numbers translated to a disappointing -4.8 goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck, placing him 27th out of 31 goalies who played at least half their team’s games that year. He, along with even worse results from backup Marc-André Fleury, was a significant reason why Minnesota missed the playoffs that year for just the second time since 2012.
The 27-year-old rebounded quite nicely in 2024-25, though. He took on more workload from the aging Fleury and became their true No. 1 instead of just a tandem option. While he didn’t quite reach the heights of that dominant 2022-23 showing, Gustavsson was still a top-10 goalie in the league by nearly every metric. That includes starts (58, t-7th), wins (31, t-6th), save percentage (.914, 6th), GAA (2.56, 10th), and shutouts (5, t-4th). He saved 15.3 goals above expected and ranked sixth in Vezina Trophy voting, leading Minnesota back to the postseason despite injuries to multiple key skaters, including Kaprizov, for significant chunks of the season.
He’ll continue being the Wild’s true starter for the foreseeable future and is set up for another 55-plus start season in 2025-26. He’ll have a new face as his backup, though. With Fleury retired, top prospect Jesper Wallstedt is making the jump to full-time NHL minutes. When Gustavsson signed his last contract, there was hope both internally and externally that Wallstedt would be ready to take over the No. 1 job in the 2026 offseason, one of the contributing factors as to why that deal was somewhat term-limited. After some significant bumps in the road in his development, though, that likely won’t be the case. The 2021 first-round pick’s development was tracking nicely up until last year. His numbers with AHL Iowa took a steep dive, plummeting to a 3.59 GAA, .879 SV%, and a 9-14-5 record in just 27 appearances as injuries limited his availability.
Minnesota committed to Wallstedt making the jump to the NHL before last year, though, inking him to a two-year, $4MM extension that’s taking effect for 2025-26. While they may have initially looked at this year as a chance for Wallstedt to take the reins entirely, the goal now is for a smooth NHL adjustment and a rebound to league-average territory. He is, after all, a two-time AHL All-Star and had the top GAA in the Swedish Hockey League as a 19-year-old. With slightly tempered expectations now, though, the Wild are committing to the more established option as they ramp up their championship pursuit.
Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-Imagn Images.
Emily Kaplan of ESPN was first to report the signing. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the terms.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/3/25
We’re getting into the final few days of training camp. There are only three days until opening night rosters are due, meaning only a handful of teams have significant cuts to make. Otherwise, it’s down to the final few roster battles. We’re keeping track of today’s demotions here:
Boston Bruins (per team announcement)
F Patrick Brown (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
D Frederic Brunet (to AHL Providence)
D Michael Callahan (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
F Riley Duran (to AHL Providence)
F Brett Harrison (to AHL Providence)
F Fabian Lysell (to AHL Providence)
F Georgii Merkulov (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
D Victor Söderström (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
F Riley Tufte (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
Detroit Red Wings (per team announcement)
F Carter Mazur (to AHL Grand Rapids)
G Michal Postava (to AHL Grand Rapids)
D William Wallinder (to AHL Grand Rapids)
Nashville Predators (per team announcement)
F Zachary L’Heureux (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Tanner Molendyk (to AHL Milwaukee)
New York Rangers (per team announcement)
D Scott Morrow (to AHL Hartford)
F Gabriel Perreault (to AHL Hartford)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)
D Sebastian Aho (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, cleared waivers)
F Danton Heinen (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, cleared waivers)
D Philip Kemp (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, cleared waivers)
F Joona Koppanen (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, cleared waivers)
G Filip Larsson (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, cleared waivers)
F Valtteri Puustinen (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, cleared waivers)
Utah Mammoth (per team announcement)
F Ben McCartney (to AHL Tucson, cleared waivers)
D Scott Perunovich (to AHL Tucson, cleared waivers)
F Gabe Smith (to QMJHL Moncton)
G Matt Villalta (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)
Vancouver Canucks (per team announcement)
F Nils Åman (to AHL Abbotsford, pending waivers)
Washington Capitals (per team announcement)
D Ryan Chesley (to AHL Hershey)
F Andrew Cristall (to AHL Hershey)
F Eriks Mateiko (to AHL Hershey)
D Leon Muggli (to AHL Hershey)
F Ilya Protas (to AHL Hershey)
F Sheldon Rempal (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)
Waivers: 10/3/25
Twelve new names are on Friday’s waiver list, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports relays. Out of the 22 names waived yesterday, three were claimed: Daemon Hunt heads from Columbus to Minnesota, Cole Schwindt from Vegas to Florida, and Ilya Solovyov from Calgary to Colorado.
Today’s placements are as follows:
Boston Bruins
F Patrick Brown
D Michael Callahan
F Georgii Merkulov
D Victor Söderström
F Riley Tufte
Carolina Hurricanes
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
F David Kämpf
D William Villeneuve
Utah Mammoth
Vancouver Canucks
Washington Capitals
Panthers Claim Cole Schwindt Off Waivers From Golden Knights
The Panthers have claimed forward Cole Schwindt off waivers from the Golden Knights, PuckPedia reports.
Schwindt, 24, begins his second go-around with the Panthers organization. Florida drafted him in the third round in 2019, and he made his NHL debut for them a few years later before getting included in 2022’s Jonathan Huberdeau/Matthew Tkachuk blockbuster trade with Calgary. He stuck with the Flames organization for two more years, but only played four games for them before he was lost on waivers to the Golden Knights in preseason last year.
The Ontario native brings 49 games of NHL experience back to Sunrise, 42 of which came in a depth role with Vegas in 2024-25. His career 1-7–8 scoring line works out to 0.16 points per game and isn’t particularly inspiring. He’s only averaged 9:21 of ice time per game, though, and has produced reliable enough defensive results. In addition to recording 41 hits last year, he had a +3 rating and controlled 52.8% of even-strength expected goals despite a defense-oriented workload.
With Florida dealing with a difficult rash of injuries to their forward group, it’s sensible for them to bring back a familiar name. They still need to make a few cuts, and it’s not a guarantee he doesn’t end up back on waivers in the next two days, but he gives them an option with more recent NHL experience than Jack Studnicka, who’s still hanging around in camp and was projected as their 13th forward to start the year before Schwindt’s pickup. PTO invites Noah Gregor and Tyler Motte are still options to sign and potentially push Schwindt back onto waivers, though.
Avalanche Claim Ilya Solovyov
The Avalanche have acquired defenseman Ilya Solovyov from the Flames via waivers, according to PuckPedia.
Solovyov, 25, is in the second year of a two-year, $1.55MM contract with a $775K cap hit that he signed with Calgary as a restricted free agent in 2024. It carries a one-way structure this year, so even if the Avs managed to have him clear waivers and assign him to the minors, they’re on the hook for that full NHL salary. Solovyov skated in five of his 15 career NHL contests in 2024-25, posting an assist and eight blocks with 12 hits and a -3 rating while averaging 15:40 per game.
The 6’3″ Solovyov commands more intrigue because of his minor-league work with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. The Belarusian rearguard is coming off a career-high 6-22–28 scoring line in 59 appearances for the Wranglers, along with a +8 rating. A seventh-round pick back in 2020, he brings four years of professional experience to the Colorado organization that includes an 18-51–69 scoring line with a +33 rating in 229 career AHL games.
Colorado is weak on left-side defensive depth with NHL upside, so it’s not unsurprising to see them make a claim and give Keaton Middleton some competition for the No. 7 job while also providing a backup option if righty Sam Malinski struggles to adjust to playing on his off side, as he’s projected to do alongside Brent Burns. All of Colorado’s projected extra forwards who remain in camp are waiver-exempt, so they could carry 13 forwards and eight defenders to start the year with Logan O’Connor on injured reserve. That would allow them to retain Solovyov and Middleton without risking losing either on waivers.