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Training Camp Cuts: 9/21/25

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The preseason is officially underway today, and teams are constinuing to make cuts to whittle down their training camp roster. In this early stage, the cuts are typically younger players who get reassigned to their various junior or international clubs. We’ll keep tabs on today’s cuts here.  The remaining players can be found on our Training Camp Rosters page.

Ottawa Senators (per team announcement)

D Gabriel Eliasson
F Blake Vanek
D Eerik Wallenius

Vancouver Canucks (per team announcement)

F Josh Bloom (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Jackson Kunz (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Cooper Walker (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Dino Kambeitz (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Gabriel Chiarot (to Brampton, OHL)
F Riley Patterson (to Niagara, OHL)
G Alexei Medvedev (to London, OHL)
F Kieren Dervin (to Kingston, OHL)
D Zach Sandhu (released from ATO, to Oshawa, OHL)

Preseason Notes: Gibson, Daws, Blackhawks Injury Updates

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Despite trading a second-round pick and committing $6.4MM in cap space over the next two years in order to acquire veteran John Gibson, the Detroit Red Wings aren’t entering the 2025-26 season with firm plans in mind in terms of how they’ll allocate their goaltending starts. The Athletic’s Max Bultman relayed word from head coach Todd McLellan today who said about the team’s goaltending plans “We’re going to start by letting it play out,” adding “We’ll start the season and see where it takes us.”

McLellan specifically cited the possibility for injuries or one goalie having a hot streak as reasons for why trying to plan out a specific workload for his goaltenders would be “a pretty futile exercise.” Regardless of their plans at this stage, it’s clear the Red Wings’ position in net is considerably stronger than it was one year ago. Gibson is an accomplished veteran who, before Anaheim began its current rebuilding phase, could be counted amongst the league’s more reliable netminders, while Cam Talbot made it to the 2023-24 season’s All-Star game and posted a .913 save percentage across 54 games.

Some other notes as preseason begins in earnest around the NHL:

  • With veterans Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen firmly entrenched as the New Jersey Devils’ starting and backup netminders, respectively, young goalie Nico Daws has become one of the names to watch in the preseason. The 24-year-old Swiss goalie is no longer exempt from waivers, and looks highly likely to end up exposed to all 31 other NHL clubs at some point in the preseason. As a result, the 2020 third-round pick’s preseason performances are particularly notable as he’s likely to be watched closely as a waiver claim option by teams in need of a goalie. To that end, Daws hasn’t had the strongest start to his preseason – he was tagged for four goals against on just 13 shots in his debut preseason appearance against the New York Rangers. Daws had a .939 save percentage in six NHL appearances in 2024-25 and had an .894 across 21 games in 2023-24. He’s a pending RFA with an $812.5K cap hit.
  • The Athletic’s Scott Powers relayed the following injury updates from Chicago Blackhawks training camp – André Burakovsky was held out of practice due to a lower-body ailment, while Landon Slaggert and Brett Seney exited practice for undisclosed reasons. No further detail on the latter two players was provided, but head coach Jeff Blashill did indicate he “hoped to have more info on them tomorrow.” 23-year-old Slaggert in particular has a big opportunity ahead of him this training camp, as if he can manage to earn a spot next to Jason Dickinson on the team’s third line, he could find himself with the chance to play tough minutes against top competition in a shutdown capacity.

West Notes: Blues Forwards, Kraken Injuries, Dickinson

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While the NHL preseason is for most fans a low-stakes affair as the results of games don’t matter for the standings, they are often extremely high-stakes affairs for many of the players involved – many of whom are looking to secure a spot in the NHL for the upcoming season. The competition for limited roster spots is often fierce, and one of the fiercest appears to be playing out in St. Louis, where four forwards of varying experience and talent levels are competing for three roster spots. The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford indicated that PTO signee Milan Lucic, 2023 first-rounder Dalibor Dvorsky, and veterans Mathieu Joseph and Alexandre Texier are competing for a likely three roster spots between them.

Out of that group, the clear “odd one out” appears to be Lucic, who is playing in camp on a PTO. According to Rutherford, the Blues believe Lucic could help in a few specific areas they’d like to improve, namely “physicality and sticking up for teammates.” But Rutherford reports that Lucic’s start to camp has been “nondescript” and that those areas where he can make his mark aren’t really things that factor into a practice setting. With just four NHL games played since 2022-23, Lucic faces a steep uphill battle to win a roster spot, especially since Rutherford noted that two of his main competitors, Joseph and Texier, were “two of the more noticeable forwards” in the early portion of camp in St. Louis.

Some other notes from the Western Conference:

  • The Seattle Kraken issued injury updates to two players today: forward Jared McCann is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, while center Nathan Villeneuve will miss the rest of training camp with his own lower-body ailment. This development is particularly unfortunate for Villeneuve, 19, as he’s lost the ability to impress team brass in advance of his final season in the OHL. According to the Kraken’s official camp blog, Villeneuve “made a lasting impression” in last year’s preseason process before being cut, and now due to this injury he won’t have the opportunity to do that again in 2025. A 2024 second-round pick, Villeneuve scored 34 goals and 70 points in 57 games for the Sudbury Wolves last season.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks’ lineup plans for next season are beginning to take shape, and in particular it appears new head coach Jeff Blashill has firm plans for how he wants to deploy center Jason Dickinson in 2025-26. The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports that Blashill “thinks he can best utilize Dickinson as a third-line shutdown center,” adding that he plans on matching Dickinson’s line against opposing top lines. At the moment, Dickinson is centering veteran Ilya Mikheyev and 23-year-old Landon Slaggert, and if Blashill’s plans end up successful, the trio could be extremely helpful in taking some pressure off of top center and franchise face Connor Bedard. Dickinson enters 2025-26 as a pending UFA set to make $4.25MM against the cap.

Hall Of Fame Flyers Goalie Bernie Parent Passes Away At 80

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Legendary Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Bernie Parent has passed away at the age of 80. He was the first starting goaltender in Flyers history, and went on to accumulate one of the most decorated careers in NHL history. His accolades included back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, two Vezina Trophies, and two Conn Smyth ’Playoff MVP’ trophies. He was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 1984, alongside Jacques Lemaire and Phil Esposito.

Parent’s prolific pro career didn’t began in Philadelphia. Instead, he joined the NHL as a member of the Boston Bruins in 1965 – and posted a disappointing .898 save percentage in 39 games of his rookie season. That poor showing pushed him to a backup role in 1966, and prompted Boston to leave Parent unprotected in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft.

That decision set up Philadelphia to make what ended up a franchise-defining pick. They leaned on Parent in their first season of operations and he quickly proved worth the trust. He posted a .926 save percentage – fourth-best in the NHL – in his first 38 games as a Flyer, despite the team slipping to a 15-17-5 record when he was in net. Parent matched that performance with a .925 Sv% in 58 games the following year, and a .921 Sv% in 62 games the year after that. It was a phenomenal start to his time with the Flyers, though the team followed it up with the questionable decision to trade their star starting goaltender to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1971. In return, the Flyers landed a top-10 draft pick (used on Pierre Plante), backup goaltender Bruce Gamble, and middle-six center Mike Walton, who they flipped to the Boston Bruins.

The trade marked an interesting lull in Parent’s career. He spent two years with the Maple Leafs, recording a .915 Sv% through 65 total games, then spent one year with Philadelphia’s WHA club during the 1972-73 season – one of multiple NHL superstars who made the surprising change in leagues. On the other side of that decision, Parent decided to return to the Flyers for the 1973-74 season.

He returned to a club much stronger than the one he left behind. The club had earned the nickname “Broad Street Bullies” in the year prior, thanks to the aggressive and physical play of club legends Bobby Clarke, Dave Schultz, and Andre Dupont – to name a few. With the addition of Parent, the Flyers added a star goalie to that bruising bunch. That proved to be their missing piece, and the Flyers blazed to back-to-back Stanley Cup wins while leaning heavily on Parent. He posted a .932 Sv% through 73 games of the 1973-74 season, then returned for a .918 Sv% in 68 games of the 1974-75 campaign. In that mix, Parent also managed an incredible .933 Sv% in 17 playoff games in 1974; and a .924 Sv% in 15 playoff games in 1975. Both performances earned him MVP-recognition when Philadelphia went to lift their first, and only, Cup wins in franchise history.

Unfortunately, Parent’s career would peak with those seasons. He missed all but 11 games of the 1975-76 campaign due to a pinched nerve in his neck that required surgery. He’d recover well enough to suit up for 61 games in 1976-77, though his .899 Sv% showed sign for concern. He bounced back with a .912 in 49 games the next year, and maintained a handle on the starter’s net in 1978-79. But Parent’s career would come to a sudden, and tragic, end in 1979 when a stick got through the eyehole of his mask – causing hospitalization, temporary loss of sight, and permanent vision damage. He retired at the age of 34, and his injury would spark a league-wide shift to modern goalie helmets soon after.

Parent’s impact on Philadelphia hockey continued well after the end of his playing days. He served as the team’s goaltending coach through three scattered seasons, and mentored future Vezina Trophy-winners Ron Hextall and Pelle Lindbergh. His coaching career didn’t last for very long, but Parent stuck around the organization as an ’Ambassador of Hockey’ through the 2024-25 season.

Chants of “Bernie, Bernie, Bernie” echoed through The Spectrum at Parent’s peak, and continued to ring loud at every fan event he attended, even late in life. He was truly a legend of the sport, and perhaps thee defining piece in Philadelphia’s first few years in the league. He played through historic NHL moments, like the 1975 ’Fog Game’ against the Buffalo Sabres. For a time after his career, he would live on a yacht he named ’The French Connection’, after the legendary Sabres line he faced in that very game. That humor, his warm spirit, and his championing of sobriety and dedication will be remembered through the Flyers family.

Snapshots: Capitals, Schmidt, Buium, Celebrini

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Training camp updates are rolling in as many teams approach their first round of cuts. The most pertinent updates came for the Washington ahead of an early-morning scrimmage. Superstar Alex Ovechkin didn’t take the ice with the team as he continues to face a day-to-day, lower-body injury per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Silber also reported that forward Justin Sourdif and defenseman Martin Fehervary continue to not take contact during practice, and thus didn’t take part in Washington’s scrimmage.

None of Washington’s updates are cause for much concern. Ovechkin is expected to continue progressing towards a return, and be held out of action as a precaution. Ovechkin will return to his perennial role on top of Washington’s lineup when the regular season kicks off. Fehervary is also still on an expected track, continuing to work his way back from a torn meniscus suffered late last season. He underwent surgery on the knee during the off-season, but has since been unable to kick minor inflammation. Once that goes down, he’ll return to a solid role in Washington’s daily lineup. Sourdif was facing illness, and should work back to full speed after taking a few laps with the non-playing group on Sunday.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • Utah Mammoth defenseman Nate Schmidt was absent from the team’s Saturday practice. He was designated as day-to-day due to maintenance by head coach Andre Tourigny, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. That designation makes Schmidt’s availability over the next few days difficult, though it doesn’t seem the Mammoth are concerned about the long-term availability of their summer signing. Schmidt played a bottom-pair role on the Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers last season, working his way up to 19 points in 80 games. He’ll likely fill a similar role in Utah, though brings the experience of a 741-game veteran and one-time Cup-winner to the NHL’s newest club.
  • Continuing the list of absences was top Minnesota Wild prospect Zeev Buium, who missed his third-consecutive practice on Sunday per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Russo pointed out that Buium did skate with Jonas Brodin before practice started. Again, Buium’s ailment isn’t expected to be a serious issue, head coach John Hynes told Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports. Buium will be pushing for a starring role on the Wild roster this season, after playing the first four games of his NHL career in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. He recorded one assist and four penalty minutes in those outings. An extended absence will make a run to the NHL a bit tougher, but the one-time NCAA National Champion should have no problem convincing the Wild brass when he’s back to full health.
  • In a positive swing, San Jose Sharks star centerman Macklin Celebrini returned to the team’s practices after missing multiple days to illness, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Celebrini won’t take part in San Jose’s first preseason game, though he’ll otherwise be fully on track to return to the role of San Jose’s top forward when the season kicks off. Celebrini scored 63 points in 70 games as a rookie last season, marking a franchise record in San Jose.

Maple Leafs Camp Notes: Domi, Roy, Benoit

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The Toronto Maple Leafs received a wave of positive injury updates on Sunday morning. The good news kicked off when winger Max Domi stepped onto the ice for the first time in training camp, captured by TSN’s Mark Masters. Domi joined the Leafs’ non-playing group, indicating that he won’t be a part of the team’s first preseason game later in the day.

Domi has been dealing with a lower-body injury sustained during off-season training. The injury has been dubbed minor, with Domi designated as day-to-day, but its nonetheless become a focal point of camp as many expect Domi to take on a top-six role. With Sunday’s practice, he’ll take the first step towards vindicating those expectations – and break camp in a top-line wing role vacated by Mitch Marner earlier this summer. Domi scored eight goals and 33 points last season, though he also managed 47 points in his first year with the Leafs in 2023-24.

Other notes from Toronto’s camp:

  • Also returning to the practice sheet was recently-acquired forward Nicolas Roy, who sat out of the team’s Saturday skate with a lower-body injury, per Masters. Roy is another candidate for a growing role in the Toronto lineup, after being acquired as the sweetener in Toronto’s sign-and-trade of Marner with the Vegas Golden Knights. Roy scored 15 goals and 31 points with Vegas last season, and 41 points in the year prior. He’s a toolsy forward who can fill a role at center or right-wing. That standing could help him earn a pivotal role behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares, or an important grinder role beside them.
  • Away from the positives, defenseman Simon Benoit was absent from yet another practice on Sunday. He is facing an upper-body injury, per David Alter of The Hockey News. Head coach Craig Berube shared that the Leafs will be taking all of their injuries day-by-day, though he didn’t mention Benoit’s injury or prognosis directly, per Alter’s colleague Nick Barden. Benoit played through 78 games in a Leafs uniform last season. He tied his career-high in scoring with 10 points, to go with 59 penalty minutes and a plus-12 on the full year. Benoit is a strong candidate to fill a daily, bottom-pair role this season – though an extended injury at camp will give newcomers like Henry Thrun and Dakota Mermis a chance to catch up. Both Thrun and Mermis will take the ice for Toronto’s first preseason game on Sunday.

Summer Synopsis: Ottawa Senators

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With training camps now almost upon us, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective.  Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled.  Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team has accomplished this offseason.  Next up is a look at Ottawa.

After missing the playoffs for seven straight years in the midst of a long-term rebuild, the Senators finally got over the hump last season, making the postseason and finishing only one point behind Florida for the third seed in the Atlantic Division; the Panthers, of course, went on to win the Stanley Cup again last season.  GM Steve Staios opted to largely keep his core group intact, believing that continued growth from their top players will allow them to take another step forward in 2025-26.

Draft

1-23 – D Logan Hensler, Wisconsin (Big 10)
3-93 – F Blake Vanek, Stillwater (USHS-MN)
4-97 – G Lucas Beckman, Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)
5-149 – F Dmitri Isayev, Yekaterinburg (MHL)
6-181 – F Bruno Idzan, Lincoln (USHL)
7-213 – G Andrei Trofimov, Magnitogorsk (MHL)

The Senators didn’t make any big splashes at the 2025 draft, outside of trading down slightly in the first round in order to pick up the third-round pick they would send to Los Angeles for Spence. The club didn’t have a second-round pick as a result of the Zetterlund trade with San Jose, but nonetheless managed to put together a draft class that should produce an NHL player or two.

Hensler was widely regarded as a polished defenseman by scouts, one who capably handled the rigors of NCAA hockey as a freshman and grew more comfortable as the season progressed. While most public-facing scouts do not credit Hensler with a standout single tool, he’s widely seen as a likely long-term NHL player. The team at Elite Prospects recently ranked Hensler as the club’s number-two prospect behind 2024 top pick Carter Yakemchuk.

The Senators began the second day of the draft by adding Vanek, a Minnesota high school prospect who is the son of longtime NHLer Thomas Vanek. Vanek offers an intriguing package of physical tools and was ranked 18th in the team’s system.

In the later rounds, Beckman represented a solid bet as the club added one of the QMJHL’s more promising netminders. Isayev is an undersized Russian winger who was point-per-game in the MHL in his draft season, while Idzan dazzled fans of the USHL’s Lincoln Stars with his offensive skill last season. He became the first Croatian selected in the NHL Entry Draft and will play at the University of Wisconsin next season.

Trade Acquisitions

D Jordan Spence (from Los Angeles)

The Senators’ lone trade acquisition from the summer was Spence, a 24-year-old blueliner. Spence is an undersized blueliner who brings real offensive talent in his game, and had two quality, near point-per-game AHL seasons after turning pro in 2021-22. Spence already has 180 NHL games to his name, and is coming off of a season where he scored 28 points in 79 games. The arrival and emergence of 2021 top pick Brandt Clarke in a similar offensively-focused right-shot role appears to have pushed Spence out of Los Angeles, and the Senators look poised to benefit.

At the moment, Spence appears to sit third on the team’s right-shot defensive depth chart, behind established veterans Artyom Zub and Nick Jensen. He’ll have to compete with Nikolas Matinpalo for the team’s third-pairing right-side spot, but Spence is notably more experienced than Matinpalo and should be viewed as the favorite for that role.

If Spence can further establish himself as an NHL regular in Ottawa and perhaps find a way to get minutes on the power play (not the easiest task with Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot on the roster) Spence will likely provide a strong return for the Senators’ investment of a third-round pick.

Beyond adjusting to a new environment, it’s an important year for Spence due to his contract situation. His $1.6MM AAV contract is set to expire this summer, when he’ll in all likelihood receive a qualifying offer and become a restricted free agent. He already has an argument for a decent pay raise over the value of his last deal, but breaking into the 30-point range could strengthen his case even further.

UFA Signings

F Wyatt Bongiovanni (one year, $775K)*^
F Nick Cousins (one year, $825K)^
F Lars Eller (one year, $1.25MM plus $1MM in bonuses)
F Claude Giroux (one year, $2MM plus $2.75MM in bonuses)
F Hayden Hodgson (two years, $1.55MM)*^
F Arthur Kaliyev (one year, $775K)*
F Olle Lycksell (one year, $775K)*
G Hunter Shepard (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes two-way contract
^-denotes re-signing

The Senators didn’t do any major free agent shopping this past summer – the largest deal they signed was to re-sign veteran Claude Giroux for another campaign. Their most significant UFA addition from outside the organization was Eller, a veteran center signed to a one-year deal. Eller, now 36, has long been one of the NHL’s better third-line centers, though age is beginning to catch up to him. The 2018 Stanley Cup champion saw his offensive production decline from 15 goals, 31 points in 2023-24 to 10 goals, 22 points in 2024-25.

The Senators didn’t sign Eller for his offense, though. What they’re likely seeking is for Eller to serve as a quality fourth-line defensive center. With Tim Stutzle, Dylan Cozens, and Shane Pinto entrenched as the team’s three top centers moving forward, there isn’t a need for Eller to play as big a role in Ottawa as he did in during his peak years with the Washington Capitals. His contract from this past summer reflects that.

The Senators’ other UFA external additions were made more with an eye to depth and their AHL affiliate than anything else.

They picked up Kaliyev after his stint with the New York Rangers failed to generate momentum. He’s a player Senators management is familiar with from his days in the OHL: Senators president of hockey operations Steve Staios was Kaliyev’s GM back during Kaliyev’s successful stint with the then-Hamilton Bulldogs. One has to think this is a big year for the enigmatic 24-year-old winger to prove he has what it takes to be an NHL player.

Lycksell and Bongiovanni are quality AHL scorers, and Lycksell’s $450k AHL salary indicates he’ll likely be relied upon as one of the top offensive weapons in Belleville. Hodgson is a bigger winger with a more physical profile who could end up seeing an NHL recall should the Senators need a player to fill a fourth-line role for a short period. Shepard, a two-time Calder Cup champion, will likely play a big role for the AHL Senators after receiving a $400k AHL salary to sign in Ottawa.

RFA Re-Signings

F Xavier Bourgault (one year, $775K)*
D Cameron Crotty (two years, $1.625MM)*
F Jan Jenik (one year, $775K)*
D Tyler Kleven (two years, $3.2MM)
D Nikolas Matinpalo (two years, $1.75MM)
G Leevi Merilainen (one year, $1.05MM)
D Donovan Sebrango (one year, $775K)*
D Lassi Thomson (one year, $775K; returns from SHL)
D Fabian Zetterlund (three years, $12.825MM)

*-denotes two-way contract

The Senators’ most significant RFA re-signing was undoubtedly that of Zetterlund, their mid-season trade acquisition from the San Jose Sharks. They didn’t elect to sign the Swedish winger to a long-term extension, which is understandable after he struggled to produce in his 20-game run in Ottawa last season.

In San Jose, Zetterlund showed quite a bit of promise, and has now scored at least 40 points in back-to-back years. Zetterlund plays a unique style in that he has a power forward’s game despite being 5’11. Now earning a shade over $4MM, Zetterlund will have to build some chemistry with one of the team’s existing scorers in order to justify the club’s level of investment in him.

Kleven and Matinpalo are the other two major skaters in the club’s RFA cohort, both likely to be on the team’s NHL roster for 2025-26. Kleven is a rangy defensive defenseman likely to resume his role as the team’s third-pairing left-shot blueliner for this upcoming season – and his $1.6MM AAV reflects that role. Matinpalo, 26, impressed last season as he broke into the NHL and even earned a role on Finland’s Four Nations Faceoff team. He got into 41 games last season and the addition of Spence means he’ll have to really compete to earn a regular role on Ottawa’s defense. But at minimum, it looks like he’ll be the club’s seventh defenseman and be first to step in should any injuries strike.

Merilainen, the lone goalie in that grouping, played in 12 NHL games last season and will be Ottawa’s backup behind starter Linus Ullmark for the upcoming season, provided he can fend off a challenge from the big Mads Sogaard.

Bourgault, Crotty, Jenik, Sebrango, and Thomson are each long-shots to make the team’s NHL roster, but were nonetheless re-signed with an eye to AHL Belleville. It’s a big year for Bourgault in particular, as the 22-year-old forward is just one of a small handful of 2021 first-round picks who have yet to appear in an NHL game.

Departures

F Angus Crookshank (signed with New Jersey, two years, $1.55MM)*
F Philippe Daoust (non-tendered but signed AHL deal with Belleville)
D Jeremy Davies (signed with AHL Henderson)
G Anton Forsberg (signed with Los Angeles, two years, $4.5MM)
F Adam Gaudette (signed with San Jose, two years, $4MM)
D Dennis Gilbert (signed with Philadelphia, one year, $875K)
D Travis Hamonic (signed with Detroit, one year, $1MM)
F Matthew Highmore (signed with NY Islanders, one year, $775K)*
F Jamieson Rees (non-tendered but signed AHL deal with Belleville)
F Cole Reinhardt (signed with Vegas, two years, $1.625MM)
F Tristen Robins (signed in Czechia)
D Filip Roos (signed in Sweden)

*-denotes two-way contract

The Senators lost a few NHLers this offseason, but nobody who is likely to leave a big void in the club’s roster. Gaudette scored 19 goals last season and the Senators didn’t bring in anyone with that kind of goal-scoring record, but an improved year from Zetterlund could help cover for the loss of Gaudette. The Senators could very well have been skeptical that Gaudette, who shot 21.1% last season, would be able to repeat his performance, hence their decision not to re-sign him.

In the departure of Anton Forsberg, the Senators lost an experienced NHL backup – but if Merilainen’s 2024-25 performance is something he can build on, the Senators will be fine. Right-handed veteran Hamonic’s spot on the team’s defensive depth chart was filled by the addition of Spence, and while Reinhardt was a useful, scrappy depth winger, he’s not a departure that will make a major difference in the Senators’ fortunes.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Senators enter training camp with a little over $3.5MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.  However, the team is operating as a cash-over-cap team, something that owner Michael Andlauer acknowledged would likely mean they won’t spend right to the $95.5MM ceiling.  Between that, wanting to keep some flexibility open for injuries, and keeping some money available for the bonuses to Giroux and Eller, the actual amount of that cap room that’s available to be spent right now would appear to be quite limited.

Key Questions

Who Will Be Ottawa’s Backup Goalie?

Although the Senators have one of the NHL’s top veteran netminders in Ullmark, the 32-year-old Swede is not known for an ability to shoulder a heavy workload. Ullmark played in just 44 games in 2024-25, and even in his Vezina Trophy-winning season, he played in just 49 games. In other words – the backup goalie spot in Ottawa is more important than for other teams, because the club’s other netminders are in line to play a greater workload than backups see in other markets. Offseason RFA signing Merilainen looks like the front-runner to be the backup goalie after the departure of Forsberg, but he’ll be pushed by Sogaard, who has 29 games of NHL experience. The dark horse here would be Shepard, a veteran who struggled with the AHL’s Hershey Bears in 2024-25 but was downright elite in 2023-24.

Can the Senators Expect More From Their Stars?

The Senators are led by a talented core group of in-their-prime players, but that’s not to say each player played up to his potential in 2024-25. Franchise center Stutzle led the team in scoring, but he’s finished in the 70’s in terms of point production in back-to-back years. After scoring 90 points in his third NHL campaign, it would be fair to expect a little bit more from the highly talented German. The same can be said for captain Brady Tkachuk. Tkachuk is a highly coveted, unique talent, and so one would be forgiven for not realizing he had only 55 points last season. For the Senators to become the kind of dominant force they have the talent to be, they’ll need him to produce the way he did in 2022-23, when he put up 83 points to go alongside 35 goals. The Senators have a collection of players that, on paper, are more than good enough to claim a divisional playoff spot. But they’ll need a few big names to step up and play up to their potential in order to do so.

How Will Zetterlund Do In His First Full Senators Season?

The Senators’ roster is largely settled, with big names under contract and few existential roster questions. As the above question alluded to – the pieces are largely in place, the main element needed now is execution. The most notable still-unsettled piece of the Senators puzzle is Zetterlund. The Athletic’s Julian McKenzie indicated before training camp that the expectation would be for Zetterlund to begin the year on the team’s first line alongside Stutzle and Tkachuk, which would be a huge opportunity for Zetterlund to potentially set new career highs in production. Whether he’s able to actually do so – and justify the Senators’ investment in him – will be a key storyline to watch in Ottawa this season.

PHR’s Ethan Hetu also contributed to this column.

Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.

East Notes: York, Persson, Rangers Coaches

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Despite his tumultuous 2024-25 season, Cam York was cemented as a key part of the Philadelphia Flyers’ future when the club signed him to a $5.15MM AAV contract extension that runs through the 2029-30 season. Today at training camp, new Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed the importance of York to the club’s short and long-term plans, stating that York “has been keeping that pattern pretty high” in terms of the consistency of his performance. As relayed by The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, Tocchet added that he hopes York will be able to “can carry his own pair” for the club this season.

Tocchet’s point about York potentially carrying his own defensive pairing is notable as York spent significant time paired with Travis Sanheim in 2024-25. Sanheim is the Flyers’ top defenseman, and separating York from Sanheim would be a large show of faith in York’s abilities. York has so far spent time in camp paired with young blueliner Helge Grans, who has played in just six career NHL games. Being the steady veteran a rookie partner can rely on is a large responsibility for an NHL defenseman, and should Tocchet elect to deploy York in that matter, it would further underline just how dramatically York has elevated his stock in Philadelphia since he was benched for a full game under interim coach Brad Shaw.

Some other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Training camp is the setting where aspiring NHLers look to make their mark and steal a spot on an NHL roster, and each year there are young players who come out of nowhere to leave a strong impression on their team’s management, even if they don’t ultimately land an NHL role that year. That exact scenario could end up playing out in Washington, where 2022 third-round Capitals draft pick Ludwig Persson has, per The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber, really “stood out” in the early portion of camp. The Swedish winger turns 22 in October and spent last season in the Finnish Liiga, scoring 16 points in 52 games for Jukurit. Persson got the chance to skate with established NHLers Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson at camp on Saturday, and while it’s difficult to see him ultimately making the team’s opening-night roster (he has just one game of professional experience in North America), his early camp performance could make him a prospect to watch moving forward for Capitals fans.
  • The Athletic’s Peter Baugh and Vince Z. Mercogliano reported from New York Rangers training camp today that head coach Mike Sullivan has revealed how his staff of assistant coaches will split their responsibilities this upcoming season. Sullivan told the media that assistant David Quinn, the former Rangers head coach, will work with the team’s defensemen and run the club’s power play. Quinn ran Sullivan’s power play with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season and managed a strong sixth-place leaguewide finish in success rate. Assistant Joe Sacco, the former Boston Bruins interim head coach, will run the club’s penalty kill and work with Rangers forwards. The Bruins’ penalty kill ranked 24th in the NHL last season, killing penalties at a 76.3% rate.

Training Camp Cuts: 9/20/25

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The preseason officially gets underway tonight and that will usually spur a round of training camp cuts around the league with players typically getting loaned back to their respective junior or international clubs.  We’ll keep tabs on today’s cuts here.  The remaining players can be found on our Training Camp Rosters page.

Anaheim Ducks (per team announcement)

F Emil Guite (to Chicoutimi, QMJHL)
F Maxim Masse (to Chicoutimi, QMJHL)
D Alexis Mathieu (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Ethan Procyszyn (to North Bay, OHL)
F Noah Read (to London, OHL)
D Tarin Smith (to Everett, WHL)
F Brady Turko (to Brandon, WHL)
D Darels Uljanskis (to Flint, OHL)

Calgary Flames (per team announcement)

F Nathan Brisson (to Val-d’Or, QMJHL)
F Mael Lavigne (to Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL)
F Kadon McCann (to Medicine Hat, WHL)

Detroit Red Wings (per team release)

D Nicklas Andrews (released from PTO to Toledo, ECHL)
F Kevin Bicker (to Frankfurt, DEL)
F Vincent Collard (released from ATO to Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL)
D Maxim Dirracolo (released from ATO to Kitchener, OHL)
D Wyatt Kennedy (released from ATO to Windsor, OHL)
F Liam Kilfoil (released from ATO to Halifax, QMJHL)
D Carl-Otto Magnusson (released from ATO to Moncton, QMJHL)
G Landon Miller (to Soo, OHL)
D Will Murphy (to Cape Breton, QMJHL)
G Michal Pradel (to Tri-City, USHL)
F Grayden Robertson-Palmer (to Moncton, QMJHL)

New York Rangers (per team release)

F Raoul Boilard (to Shawinigan, QMJHL)
D Artyom Gonchar (to Sudbury, OHL)
F Gavin Hain (to Hartford, AHL)
F Kyle Jackson (to Hartford, AHL)
F Zakary Karpa (to Hartford, AHL)
D Tim Lovell (released from PTO)
F Sullivan Mack (to Hartford, AHL)
D Chris Merisier-Ortiz (to Hartford, AHL)
D Cooper Moore (to Hartford, AHL)
G Hugo Ollas (to Hartford, AHL)
D Evan Passmore (to Barrie, OHL)
G Callum Tung (to Hartford, AHL)
D Corbin Vaughan (released from ATO)

Toronto Maple Leafs (per team announcement)

D Rylan Fellinger (to Flint, OHL)
F Matthew Hlacar (to Kitchener, OHL)
F Tyler Hopkins (to Kingston, OHL)
D Nathan Mayes (to Spokane, WHL)
F Sam McCue (to Brantford, OHL)
F Harry Nansi (to Owen Sound, OHL) 

Snapshots: Canadiens Defense, Steeves, Burns

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The Montreal Canadiens made one of the offseason’s biggest trades when they acquired top-pairing blueliner Noah Dobson in a trade with the New York Islanders. After the deal, most had pencilled in Kaiden Guhle as Dobson’s likely partner, often citing Guhle’s defensive reliability as a factor that would hypothetically allow Dobson to play a more aggressive offensive style, perhaps one that would help him reach the scoring heights he hit in 2023-24, when he notched 70 points. Today, The Athletic’s Arpon Basu reported that Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis appears likely to stick with his current training camp defense pairings at least until he can see how they fare against regular season competition, which would mean Dobson is slated to begin the season paired not with Guhle, but instead veteran Mike Matheson.

The move would allow Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson to remain paired with Guhle, the player he finished 2024-25 paired with. The idea of pairing Matheson with Dobson is one that has merit, even though Matheson can sometimes garner harsh criticism from Canadiens fans. Although he can sometimes be mistake-prone, Matheson has shown a real, highly valuable ability to log heavy minutes: he averaged 25:05 time-on-ice per game in 2024-25, despite losing his role as first-unit power play quarterback to Hutson. While he’s not as highly regarded as a defensive force compared to Guhle, he is the Canadiens’ most experienced defenseman, so it’s not unreasonable for St. Louis to expect Matheson to be a solid partner to help Dobson settle in with his new team.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • Outside of star David Pastrnak, the Boston Bruins don’t have the NHL’s most standout collection of forwards. But where there is a lack of established talent, there is also opportunity for less-experienced players to establish themselves, and that’s exactly what 25-year-old AHL standout Alex Steeves appears to have the opportunity to do. The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa reports that Steeves, who has been playing on a line with Casey Mittlestadt to start training camp, “should have a better chance to stick” on Boston’s NHL roster than he did with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he was generally an AHL scorer. According to Shinzawa, playing with Mittlestadt has been “a good spot” for Steeves, who had 36 goals and 62 points across 59 AHL games last season. While it’s unwise to put too much stock into early training camp deployments, one thing is clear: this preseason is perhaps the largest opportunity for Steeves to become a full-time NHLer as he’s had in his entire pro career thusfar.
  • Veteran defenseman Brent Burns won’t play in the team’s preseason contest as he’s currently dealing with a “minor tweak,” reports Colorado Hockey Now’s Aarif Deen. Deen added that the injury is “nothing serious” but that the club felt it would be best to hold him out of the upcoming contests. Burns, 40, has been remarkably healthy throughout his NHL career, and has logged 82 games played across four consecutive NHL seasons. So while Burns may not play in the club’s upcoming games due to injury, one should not expect this development to impact his readiness to contribute in the regular season.

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