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Felix Sandstrom Signs With Liiga’s Oulun Karpat

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Free agent goaltender Felix Sandström has signed on with Finnish powerhouse Kärpät, according to a team release. It’s a short-term deal with quite a few exceptions – the contract is only valid until Nov. 2 and includes an NHL out-clause, the team said.

Sandström, now 28, was a third-round pick by the Flyers in 2015 and was once a relatively promising prospect in their system. He ended up playing a career-high 20 games for them in the 2022-23 campaign, splitting backup duties with Samuel Ersson, but struggled with a .880 SV% and a 3.72 GAA. He spent most of the following season with AHL Lehigh Valley after clearing waivers and was unplayable in his brief call-up, recording a .823 SV% and -7.7 GSAA in a five-game window in March.

Along with an uninspiring .884 SV% in the minors that year, the Flyers had no qualms about letting him become an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason. He landed a two-way commitment from the Sabres on the open market to serve as the No. 4 on their depth chart behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, James Reimer, and Devon Levi. He passed through waivers unclaimed at the beginning of the season and never saw a recall. He did see improved AHL numbers in Rochester, though, logging a .899 SV% and 2.86 GAA with a 12-5-2 record in 19 games.

That still didn’t lead to much interest in his services this summer, not even on a PTO for training camp. There may have been AHL-only offers out there but he held out for the hope of a more financially lucrative agreement to return to Europe. So far, not much of anything has panned out and he’ll now take a short-term deal in Finland with the hopes of impressing there and landing a two-way contract with an NHL team in need of goaltending depth.

Sandström last played in Europe in his native Sweden during the 2020-21 season. He had a .921 SV% in five games while on loan to Västerviks IK of Sweden’s second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan. He has never played in Finland before.

Kärpät has been the main producer of Finnish NHL players in recent years and has won seven Liiga titles since 2004, but none since 2018. They also finished below .500 last year and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since last being promoted to Finland’s top flight in 2000. They’re now dealing with an injury to starting netminder Niklas Rubin, who was off to a great start with a .934 SV% in four games. In the interim, Sandström will serve in tandem with Kraken prospect Visa Vedenpää, whom they selected in the sixth round in 2023.

Nicolas Hague Out Four To Six Weeks With Upper Body Injury

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Predators offseason acquisition Nicolas Hague won’t be available for around the first month of the regular season after sustaining an upper-body injury in Sunday’s preseason split-squad game against the Panthers. The team issued a four-to-six-week recovery timeline for him today, according to Max Herz of 102.5 The Game.

That creates an opening on the Preds’ top pair to begin an important season for the club, looking to shed off the rust from an incredibly disappointing 2024-25 campaign that saw them finish with the third-worst record in the league. Hague, acquired from the Golden Knights for a package including Colton Sissons and Jeremy Lauzon in June, had taken early reps alongside captain Roman Josi in camp. While both lefties, Josi played a good chunk of last year on his off side on a pairing with Brady Skjei.

When Hague returns the lineup, Nashville is banking on a breakthrough season from the 26-year-old. Acquired as an RFA, the Preds promptly signed him to a four-year extension with a $5.5MM cap hit. The 6’6″, 245-lb rearguard had been an impressively staunch depth presence throughout his first six NHL seasons with Vegas, managing a 20-63–83 scoring line with a +20 rating in 364 career appearances while averaging 110 blocks and 129 hits per 82 games. That output came in almost exclusively bottom-pairing duties behind a combination of Brayden McNabb, Alec Martinez, and Noah Hanifin on the left side of a stacked Vegas defense group, though. He’s averaged 17:33 per game for his career – including some significant penalty killing time. That number is likely to jump to the 20:00 range when his season gets underway.

For a Preds team looking to get off to a strong start, there are suddenly renewed concerns about their defensive depth. Hague being a big piece of the puzzle on the back end was a huge part of general manager Barry Trotz’s offseason strategy, allowing the club to move Skjei down to a more comfortable second-pairing role and spread the wealth in their top four. That’s still an option, but not a particularly appealing one. With Hague gone, that could mean forcing someone like Adam Wilsby into top-pairing minutes for a small stretch if they decide to keep Josi on the right side. Aside from Skjei, there aren’t any NHL-experienced options that have proven capable of shouldering top-pair minutes for any length of time.

Thus, his absence could provide a break for 2023 first-rounder Tanner Molendyk to break camp with the NHL club. The 20-year-old lefty was the 24th overall selection two years ago and will be transitioning to the pros this fall, whether in Nashville or AHL Milwaukee, after five years of major junior play. He split last season between WHL Saskatoon and Medicine Hat, continuing his strong offensive output with 47 points in 49 regular-season games and a 4-16–20 scoring line in 18 playoff contests as he guided the Tigers to a league championship.

Since Molendyk is two years post-draft, burning a year of his entry-level contract isn’t a concern – it’ll go into effect this season regardless of how much NHL action he sees. Unfortunately, the Preds haven’t gotten a look at him in preseason yet. He’s been dealing with a minor lower-body injury since the beginning of camp, although he did skate today for the first time, per Herz. He’ll have all the more motivation now to kick things into high gear with a clear path to his NHL debut on the line.

Drake Batherson Questionable For Start Of Season

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The Senators could be without top-nine winger Drake Batherson for their regular-season opener against the Lightning on Oct. 9 and potentially even longer. He’s out “at least” two weeks with a pulled muscle in his upper body, head coach Travis Green told reporters, including Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.

Batherson sustained the injury in yesterday’s practice and left the session early, according to TSN’s Claire Hanna. There’s no video of the incident. At the very least, Batherson’s exhibition schedule comes to an end after one appearance. He suited up in the club’s first preseason game of the year against the Maple Leafs, recording two assists in a 4-3 loss while logging 18:01 of ice time last Sunday.

A short-term absence isn’t the end of the world, but it is a tough kickoff for the ever-consistent Batherson. He set a career-high mark in assists (42) and points (68) last year, his third straight campaign above the 60-point mark. He also hasn’t missed a game since an ankle injury swallowed up a good portion of his 2021-22 season, which was otherwise his most successful offensive campaign with a 0.96 points-per-game rate (44 in 46 GP).

An IR stint could be a possibility if his recovery pace makes the Sens believe he’s set to miss at least the first seven days of the regular season. That would allow them to kick the can down the road on their decision to waive fringe forwards like Arthur Kaliyev, Olle Lycksell, and Zack MacEwen, opening up an extra roster spot for one of them to stay (or even slot in the lineup in Batherson’s place) in the meantime.

Kaliyev, signed to a league-minimum deal in free agency after being non-tendered by the Rangers, could be an intriguing beneficiary. The skilled but inconsistent 24-year-old is two years removed from a 13-15–28 scoring line in 56 appearances for the Kings. He’s bounced between units in camp so far, but has gotten some reps higher up in the lineup and has remained with the obvious NHL-laden training group as camp progresses. However, he was relegated to 13th forward duties at practice today while Michael Amadio got a crack at Batherson’s projected top-nine role alongside Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto, according to Garrioch.

Islanders Notes: Lee, Tsyplakov, Varlamov

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Islanders captain Anders Lee will miss one to two weeks with an upper-body injury, the team announced. That puts the latter end of his return timeline one day ahead of the team’s regular season opener against the Penguins on Oct. 9. It doesn’t look like that will be much of a concern, though. While he could be done for the preseason, the team told the beat (including Stefen Rosner of NHL.com) that the issued timeline is precautionary and that his injury is “very minor.” Lee will skate on his own tomorrow, head coach Patrick Roy said (via Andrew Gross of Newsday).

His regular-season availability isn’t a legitimate concern at this stage as a result. Starting on a strong note is a must-have to set up an encore performance to last year’s resurgent campaign from Lee, who posted a 29-25–54 scoring line in 82 games to total the second-best offensive numbers of his career. He must do so in a contract year, although the lack of extension talks thus far isn’t of much concern to either side.

The Isles also said that winger Maxim Tsyplakov is banged up and has been given a day-to-day designation, although he did skate this morning. After averaging nearly 15 minutes per game in his rookie season last year, the 27-year-old looks ticketed for a fourth-line role to start the year after the free-agent additions of Jonathan Drouin and Maxim Shabanov this summer pushed him down the depth chart. He’s factored in on a line with Casey Cizikas and Emil Heineman so far in camp after recording a 10-25–35 scoring line in 77 appearances last year.

It’s also looking more and more as though free-agent pickup David Rittich will remain safe from waivers and start the season as Ilya Sorokin’s backup between the pipes. Semyon Varlamov’s return from a knee surgery that’s kept him out for over nine months is still quite far off, Roy reaffirmed today (via Gross). He continues to skate on his own as he has for a few weeks now, but is not expected to join full team skates anytime soon.

Lightning Return Sam O’Reilly To Juniors

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Center Sam O’Reilly, the Lightning’s No. 1 prospect, is among the training camp cuts announced by the club today. He’ll return to the OHL’s London Knights for a third full season in the major junior ranks.

While there were some who believed O’Reilly could challenge for a nine-game trial with a strong training camp, an early return to juniors isn’t a huge surprise. The 19-year-old pivot was the last selection of the first round by the Oilers in last year’s draft, but Edmonton traded him to the Bolts in July in exchange for the signing rights to reigning Hobey Baker Award winner Isaac Howard.

Howard was previously Tampa’s top prospect, but a disagreement over the role he would play in 2025-26 led him to decide not to sign with the club – essentially forcing a trade unless they wanted to lose him for nothing in free agency next summer. O’Reilly was a shrewd consolation prize, albeit a younger one who needs a little more runway before he’s ready to make an NHL impact. The 6’1″, 190-lb pivot projects squarely as a bottom-six piece long-term. He’s a strong playmaker, registering 79 assists in 130 games for the Knights over the past few years, but his top calling cards are his physical involvement and defensive acumen.

That boosts his opportunities for making an NHL transition – unlike some young first-round talents, a fourth-line workload wouldn’t be detrimental to his development if that’s where he first lands upon cracking the Bolts’ roster. Nonetheless, more junior development isn’t the worst thing in the world to see if he can improve his offensive skillset as well and gain the tools necessary to push for a more sound middle-six role in Tampa long-term.

O’Reilly will be turning pro in 2026-27. Whether that’s because he cracks the NHL roster out of camp next fall or starts in AHL Syracuse remains to be seen. Assuming O’Reilly does not reach 10 NHL games this season – an overwhelmingly likely scenario given the early nature of today’s cut – his entry-level contract will slide for a second consecutive campaign. Tampa Bay will still owe him his $96K signing bonus. As a result, his ELC will carry a decreased cap hit of $900,333 when it does go into effect for 2026-27, down from its initial cap hit of $964K had O’Reilly been in the NHL since signing the deal with Edmonton back in October 2024. He’ll be a restricted free agent at age 23 in the 2029 offseason.

Islanders Return Kashawn Aitcheson To OHL Barrie

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As expected, the New York Islanders are returning one of their recent first-round picks to his respective junior program. According to a team announcement, the Islanders have returned defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson to the OHL’s Barrie Colts.

The Toronto, ON native was selected with the 17th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, a draft pick New York acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in the Noah Dobson trade. Aitcheson skated in 64 games for OHL Barrie last season, scoring 26 goals and 59 points, with another six goals and 12 points in 16 postseason contests. He was the 9th-ranked North American skater entering the 2025 NHL Draft by NHL Central Scouting.

Before being returned to the Colts, Aitcheson skated in both preseason games for the Islanders up to this point. In the first game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Aitcheson went scoreless in 18:09 of action, while taking a minor penalty for holding in the second period and putting four shots on net. Unfortunately, due to a collision with Flyers defenseman Noah Juulsen, Aitcheson suffered a minor lower-body injury, although it was mild enough to return to game action last night.

In yesterday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, Aitcheson had a much quieter night on the scoresheet, skating in 17:48 of the contest while registering one takeaway and one giveaway. He’ll return to a Colts team that has already begun its 2025-26 season, securing a win against the Guelph Storm on Saturday.

Given that he’s a recent first-round selection by the Islanders’ new front office regime, they’ll keep a close eye on Aitcheson throughout the season. Assuming his development continues in a positive direction, it’s more than likely Aitcheson will represent Team Canada at the 2025-26 U20 World Junior Championships.

Shane Pinto’s Extension Could Reach More Than $7MM AAV

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Throughout the summer months, there’s been mild speculation regarding a contract extension between the Ottawa Senators and forward Shane Pinto. To this point, General Manager Steve Staios and Pinto have gone as far as to say that both sides have had positive conversations, though nothing has materialized yet. Still, if an extension is agreed upon throughout the 2025-26 season, many could be surprised by the price.

In a recent segment on TSN 1200 Ottawa, insider Frankie Corrado suggested that Pinto’s price tag begins at $7MM per season and may increase from there. That undoubtedly indicates that the two sides are prioritizing a long-term commitment, although it’s well above projections. According to AFP Analytics, Pinto is expected to command a $5.9MM salary on a long-term deal and $4.5MM if they pivot toward a bridge deal.

The minimum salary of $7MM, as Corrado suggests, would nearly double Pinto’s current salary of $3.75MM and would make Pinto the fourth-highest paid forward on the team. This may come as a surprise, considering Pinto has yet to register more than 40 points in a given season, though this could become the new norm as the upper ceiling of the salary cap increases.

Before the start of the 2023-24 season, when Pinto first signed his two-year, $7.5MM contract with the Senators, his cap hit represented 4.26% of Ottawa’s salary cap availability. Assuming Pinto signs a long-term extension at $7MM per season, his cap hit would only represent 6.16% of the Senators’ available cap total by the second year of the deal, and continue to decrease from there.

Still, it’s an objectively high dollar amount for a player whose earning power will hinge greatly on his performance this season. Outside of missing half of the 2023-24 campaign for violating the NHL’s Sports Wagering rules, Pinto has been a relatively productive secondary scorer for Ottawa, registering 50 goals and 99 points in his last 193 contests. In his lone playoff run with the Senators last season, he recorded one goal and two points in six games, averaging 19:53 of ice time.

Pinto possesses a defensive quality in his game that is often overlooked because of his goal-scoring ability. Throughout the past two years, he’s achieved a success rate in the faceoff dot higher than 50.0% in more than 1,300 draws, and an on-ice save percentage at even strength higher than 91.0%.

Regardless, although he’s eligible for arbitration next summer, Pinto isn’t eligible for unrestricted free agency until after the 2027-28 season, giving him and the Senators plenty of time to work something out. Still, given that it’s the last year a team can sign a rostered player to an eight-year extension, time is running out for Ottawa to potentially retain Pinto through his age-33 season, the prime years of his career.

Snapshots: Connor Extension, Knoblauch, Huska, Leskovar

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With so many headlines devoted to the looming unrestricted free agency of Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov, it can be easy to forget that another one of the game’s most lethal scoring wingers is also set to hit free agency next summer: Kyle Connor. Connor’s $7.14MM AAV deal expires at the end of the season, and Winnipeg Jets owner Mark Chipman commented on the player’s contract status in an interview with RG Media’s James Murphy. While he acknowledged that he’s not directly involved in the negotiations, Chipman said that he does not envision Connor leaving Winnipeg. He added that he expects a contract to be agreed upon “sooner rather than later.”

AFP Analytics currently projects Connor’s next deal to be worth nearly $12MM annually, which would make him the highest-paid player in Winnipeg. Given how well he’s played thus far in his NHL career, it’d be hard to argue Connor isn’t worth $12MM annually (or more), especially since reports indicate Kaprizov could make as much as $16MM AAV on his next contract, if not more. Kaprizov is a superior player to Connor, of course, but Connor isn’t extraordinarily far behind. Connor led the Jets in scoring with 97 points last season, and he added 17 points in just 13 playoff games. He’s the offensive engine behind one of the league’s top regular-season juggernauts, and it’s crucial for the Jets’ competitive hopes that they find a way to retain his services beyond 2025-26.

Some other notes from around the NHL:

  • Insider Darren Dreger reported on TSN’s Insider Trading segment that Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch and Calgary Flames head coach Ryan Huska are both entering the final season of their current contracts, and while neither coach has a firm extension offer on the table, both coaches are names to watch entering 2025-26. Knoblauch has been nothing but a success in Edmonton, and although a Stanley Cup championship remains elusive, he’s still widely respected for guiding the team to back-to-back Western Conference titles. Huska hasn’t had the same level of success as Knoblauch, though he also doesn’t get to dress Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in his lineup on a nightly basis. While the third-year coach didn’t reach the playoffs in either of his first two seasons on the job, he oversaw a stellar rookie campaign from netminder Dustin Wolf and improved the team’s performance in 2024-25 compared to where it was in 2023-24.
  • The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith reported today that Minnesota Wild defenseman Stevie Leskovar injured his wrist during a training camp scrimmage, and as a result the start to his season with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, will be delayed as he recovers. The 21-year-old 2024 sixth-round pick signed an entry-level contract in March of this year and is set to begin his first professional campaign whenever he’s healthy once again. The 6’3, 216-pound blueliner was an alternate captain for the OHL’s Brampton Steelheads last season and got a taste of pro action late in the year, playing in Iowa’s April 19th loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Injury Notes: Blackwood, Jensen, Garland, Aitcheson

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Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told reporters today, including The Denver Gazette’s Evan Rawal, that starting goalie Mackenzie Blackwood is currently progressing in his recovery from a lower-body injury but is questionable to play in the team’s season opener October 7th in Los Angeles. Blackwood is firmly entrenched as the Avalanche starter, a status the team confirmed last December when they signed him to a five-year, $5.25MM contract extension.

Blackwood played well to begin his time in Colorado, posting a .913 save percentage in 37 games, and an .892 in a tough seven-game first-round series loss to the Dallas Stars. Should Blackwood’s injury linger into the regular season, veteran Scott Wedgewood would slot in as the Avalanche’s starting goalie. Interestingly, if Blackwood misses the game in Los Angeles, this would become the second consecutive season in which Wedgewood has gotten the chance to start a season-opener due to injury – he played in the Nashville Predators’ 2024-25 opener due to an injury to starter Juuse Saros. Wedgewood, who is a pending UFA with a $1.5MM cap hit, posted a .917 save percentage in 19 games for the Avalanche after a mid-season trade.

Other injury updates from across the NHL:

  • TSN’s Claire Hanna relayed word from Ottawa Senators defenseman Nick Jensen today that Jensen is currently without a firm return timeline regarding his hip injury. Jensen said he feels he’d probably be able to handle playing if the season started tomorrow, but since he hasn’t tested himself in a game-like situation this preseason, it’s difficult to tell for sure. Jensen added that when it comes to his recovery, he’s looking to balance getting back as soon as possible with being able to “hit the ground running.” Jensen has a spot on the Senators’ second defensive pairing waiting for him whenever he is healthy, as the 35-year-old pending UFA is set to resume his pairing with Thomas Chabot.
  • Vancouver Canucks head coach Adam Foote told the media today (including Rink Wide Vancouver’s Jeff Paterson) that winger Conor Garland will not play in the club’s preseason game tomorrow as he manages a minor injury. Foote clarified that the absence is more about maintaining Garland’s health in advance of the regular season than it is about recovery from anything serious, so it does not appear this preseason absence will in any way impact Garland’s readiness for the team’s season opener. The tenacious Garland is an integral middle-six piece for the Canucks and is coming off of a 19-goal, 50-point season.
  • New York Islanders 2025 first-round pick Kashawn Aitcheson had a bit of an injury scare in the club’s first preseason game, but it appears he’s now fully healthy. Aitcheson dressed for the team’s preseason game tonight against the New Jersey Devils, meaning he has another chance to impress Islanders brass before he is, in all likelihood, reassigned to his junior team. The third of the Islanders’ trio of 2025 first-rounders, Aitcheson is a rangy two-way blueliner who was recently ranked as the club’s No. 4 prospect by EliteProspects.

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