The Florida Panthers were looking to build off their shutout win in Dallas as they wrapped up their road trip in Tampa on Monday night.

They certainly did so, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning by a final of 5-2 to wrap up their four-game road trip through three different time zones.

Florida’s penalty kill came into Monday killing 21 of their last 22 penalties, and after creating multiple chances in their last game, they were able to convert minutes into the hockey game, thanks to Sam Reinhart.

On a quick odd man rush, the Bolts were drawing more towards Anton Lundell, Reinhart saw a clear shooting lane and converted.

His 16th of the season and third short handed.

Reinhart scored his 13th short handed goal as a Panthers, tying Aleksander Barkov for second most in franchise history.

Radek Dvorak holds the franchise short handed goal record at 16.

It didn’t take long for the Cats to add to their lead.

Tampa Bay had a quality scoring chance to tie the game, where Yanni Gourde hit the post, and on the same shift, Florida came up off the rush the break, and just like Reinhart earlier, Lundell came up the right wing and shot the puck before Tampa was able to close in and they beat Jonas Johansson once again.

Lundell with his 10th of the season and the former first round pick has reach double digit goals in each of his five seasons in a Panthers sweater.

Lighting owned three-fourths of the shot attempt share in all situations in the first period, but were unable to find the back of the net. The chances were highlighted by two saves from Sergei Bobrovsky in the same sequence on Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli.

Florida completely tilted the ice in the second period, with a good amount of their shots coming on an early power play in the second period.

Despite not scoring on the man advantage, they converted just over midway through the period.

Off a give-n-go on a zone entry, Carter Verhaeghe center the puck to a cutting Brad Marchand and connected beautifully on the tape, and redirected it in to make it a three-goal lead.

Marchand now at 19 goals on the season, where he had 23 all of last season, and on pace for 49 goals.

The dominance continued late into the frame as the Panthers won a board battle in the corner, with Mackie Samoskevich coming on the ice with the first power play unit, and wasted no time getting the puck off his stick and set up Reinhart all alone in the left circle, and his wrist shot beat Johansson to make it a 4-0 lead.

There was not going to be a second consecutive shutout for Florida, as the Bolts responded just over a minute later and before the second intermission, where Max Crozier’s shot from the point got through loads and traffic and got through Bobrovsky past the far side blocker.

That was Crozier's first career NHL goal.

Tampa Bay's momentum carried over into the third period as they got a goal on the board off a counter attack, Brayden Point hit JJ Moser as the trailer, his fake slap shot froze the Panthers defense and with Jake Guentzel parked in the blue paint, it was now a two-goal game. 

Paul Maurice challenge for goaltender interference, but was unsuccessful with Guentzel's skates outside of the blue paint. 

Florida went to the box for delay of game on the challenge, but did not allow them to climb back even closer continuing their run killing 25 of their last 26 penalties. 

Shortly after another successful kill, it's another score as Uvis Balinskis kept the puck in the Lightning end, and fed Carter Verhaeghe down low.

Verhaeghe recognized Johansson committing down, and shot it top shelf  to make it 5-2 for his 10th goal of the season, and his sixth since returning to the lineup after becoming a father, and is halfway towards his goal total from last season. 

Balinskis with two primary assist's on the evening.   

Guess what? The Panthers kill another penalty after Rodrigues went to the box for delay of game, not allowing the Bolts to even get close to making it a hockey game. 

Florida allowed six shots on five Tampa power plays. 

Florida ended the road trip earning six out of a possible eight points and are in striking distance of the final playoff spot with 50 games left.

Panthers return home as they will play eight of their next nine games in Sunrise. First on the schedule will be the Los Angeles Kings in Anze Kopitar’s final visit to South Florida as they will look to sweep the season series.

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One of the things that will be remembered about the 2024 NHL Draft is how many good young defensemen were seen as good options relatively early in the first round.

When you look at the top 12 overall picks from last year, half of them ended up being defensemen, and as the Senators stepped up to the podium at seventh overall, five of the six D were still on the board. Artyom Levshunov was chosen second overall by the Chicago Blackhawks, and Ottawa’s choice of Carter Yakemchuk made him the second defenseman taken in the draft.

As such, expectations for Yakemchuk are sky high, not just to get to the NHL, but to be a very good top-four defenseman when he gets here. No one in Ottawa wants to hear that the Senators invested a seventh overall pick in a player who is a nice bottom-pairing NHL defenseman, or, for that matter, that he needed five years to get here.

Yakemchuk has been playing big minutes with the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League, but has yet to get a call-up to the NHL, despite being a final cut at each of the last two Ottawa training camps. Now he's injured, so his development is on hold for the time being, and fans may have to wait even longer for his arrival.

Meanwhile, even the most patient fans can't help but start to notice that three of the four defensemen selected after Yakemchuk are already in the NHL. That includes Zeev Buium, who has 16 points in his first 32 NHL games this season. Buium did a pretty decent Quinn Hughes impression with two points in his first game as a Vancouver Canuck on the weekend.

No one has any idea this early in the game who will emerge as the best defenseman out of the 2024 NHL Draft class. But that won't stop the coulda, shoulda debates from breaking out, forcing the sensible fans to unpack all the sensible cliches: Better overripe than underdeveloped. Or everyone develops at their own pace. Or just trying to be Best in Class

All of those concepts are impossible to argue with.

Senators' Top Prospect Carter Yakemchuk Injured In Collision During Sunday's AHL GameThe Senators anxiously await a health update on their 2024 seventh-overall draft pick.

So what should people expect from a defenseman chosen in the first round? When should he arrive? There is, obviously, no set answer, no crystal ball, and Ottawa’s checkered history of drafting defensemen in the first round proves all that.

1995: Bryan Berard, first overall

Despite being the number one overall pick, Berard failed to make a very bad Senators team in 1995-96, which was part of why he asked for a trade. Berard spent that season in the OHL with the Detroit Whalers, and after the Sens traded him, he joined the New York Islanders the following year, where he had 48 points in 82 games. which would be his career high as an NHL player. Four seasons after that, now with Toronto, his career was never the same after taking a stick in the eye in a game against the Senators.

1996: Chris Phillips, first overall

Just as Yakemchuk did, Phillips returned for another season in the Western Hockey League, split between Prince Albert and Lethbridge. He then joined the Senators for the 1997-98 season and went on to become the Senators’ all-time games-played leader at 1,179.

2000: Anton Volchenkov, 21st overall

Volchenkov returned to Russia for two years before joining the Senators full-time for the 2002-03 season. He played seven seasons for the Senators in a shot-blocking, shutdown role, and the Senators could use two more like him right now.

2004: Andrej Meszaros, 23rd overall

Meszaros was selected out of Slovakia and came over after the draft to play for the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League. After one season there, Meszaros joined the Senators and put up 39 points in his rookie season and finished third in the NHL with a plus-34. In a 2009 contract dispute, the Senators traded Meszaros to Tampa for Filip Kuba, Alexandre Picard and a 2009 first-round pick.

2005: Brian Lee, ninth overall

Like future Senators Christian Wolanin, Tyler Kleven, and Jake Sanderson, Lee headed to the University of North Dakota after his draft year, where he spent two seasons. He spent most of a third season with Binghamton of the American Hockey League before joining the Senators in 2008. Lee didn't have a particularly distinguished Sens career and was eventually traded after parts of five seasons to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

2008: Erik Karlsson, 15th overall

Not even three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson was immune from the need for development after the Senators selected him. He returned to Sweden for one year in 2009, then played 12 games for the Binghamton Senators before becoming a full-time Senator. He posted 26 points in 60 games in his rookie season, so there was still some work to be done.

2009: Jared Cowen, ninth overall

After being drafted, Cowen returned to Spokane of the Western Hockey League for three more seasons before finally cracking Ottawa’s lineup in 2011, when he played all 82 games. He played parts of four seasons after that but ran into injury trouble that ended his career in his mid-20s.

2012: Cody Ceci,15th overall

Ceci returned to junior for one more season split between the Ottawa 67’s and the Owen Sound Attack. The following year he played 27 games with Binghamton and then became a full-time Senator for the next six seasons.

2015: Thomas Chabot, 18th overall

Chabot returned to the Saint John Sea Dogs for the better part of two seasons. He played 13 games with Belleville before becoming a full-time Senator in 2017-18. Chabot has been excellent offensively for the Senators, and while his detractors would like to see a little more intensity without the puck, there's no arguing that his absence from Ottawa’s lineup has been glaring this season as he works through an injury.

2019: Lassi Thomson, 19th overall

After being drafted, Thomson returned to Europe for a year and a half, then came back to North America to play 35 games with Belleville before making his NHL debut with Ottawa in 2021-22. But he never stuck as an NHL regular. In 2024, he left for Europe again but returned to the organization this year as a free agent.

2020: Jake Sanderson, 5th overall

After Sanderson was drafted in 2020, he went to school for two years at the University of North Dakota before he reported for NHL duty in Ottawa. Sanderson needed two full developmental seasons after his draft year and then became the Sens' best defenseman (and probably one of the ten best in the game).

So no one really needs to fret right now about Yakemchuk's ETA.

2025: Logan Hensler, 23rd overall

Along with three other Sens prospects, Hensler is at the University of Wisconsin, which is off to a dominant 14-2-2 start. Henslerr has 8 points in 15 games, but it's far too early to include him in a list where we're trying to see if there's a trend. 

Ottawa's draft history shows why projecting Carter Yakemchuk’s NHL arrival, or his eventual ceiling, is so difficult. There's obviously no perfectly reliable strategy, or timetables, or guarantees, regardless of draft position. And every first-round pick is awesome until we all decide he isn't.

In the absence of a perfect formula, patience will always be the strongest fallback, even for players with great expectations. 

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was originally published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Read more:

30 Games Into The Season, What Is The Ottawa Senators' Identity?
Senators Comeback Effort Wasted In 3-2 Regulation Loss In Minnesota
After A Hot Start, Senators' Veteran Goes Ice Cold And Now Joins Injury List
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Four Ottawa Senators Make Annual List Of Most Punchable NHL Players

As they already deal with the temporary absence of centers Quinton Byfield and Phillip Danault, the Los Angeles Kings lose goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who exited the game early against the Dallas Stars.

Late in the first period, Stars right winger Mikko Rantanen collided with Kuemper following a shot that came from the point. Rantanen skated across the Kings’ crease, catching Kuemper on his left side and making some contact with his head.

Dallas scored on the play, but the referee immediately waived it off. The game remained 0-0 going into the second period.

The Kings announced that Kuemper would not return to the contest, meaning backup goaltender Anton Forsberg will have to finish the job against Dallas.

After the collision, Los Angeles’ starting netminder stayed down on the ice for a few moments before heading down the tunnel. 

Forsberg filled in for the final four minutes of the opening frame, but didn’t face a shot in that span.

Kuemper has missed time earlier this season with a lower-body injury. He missed two games in the middle of October. The Kings dropped both games, which were against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Carolina Hurricanes.

The 35-year-old has been a key contributor to Los Angeles holding on to a playoff spot in the Pacific Division. 

In his last five starts, Kuemper put up a 2-2-1 record, while registering a .944 save percentage, a 1.62 goals-against average and a shutout. Since the start of December, he’s been one of the best goaltenders in the NHL.

Where Does Kuemper Stand In Team Canada’s Goaltending Depth Chart?Darcy Kuemper has been solid for the Los Angeles Kings lately, including a shutout in his last appearance. However, where does he stand on Team Canada's goaltending depth chart ahead of the 2026 Olympics?

In terms of season totals, the Saskatoon native has made 22 appearances before his start against the Stars. He has a 10-6-6 record, putting up a .916 SP, 2.21 GAA and two shutouts.

Among NHL netminders who have played at least 15 games, he ranks fifth in save percentage and third in goals-against average. Additionally, he’s tied for third in shutouts, behind Sergei Bobrovsky and Ilya Sorokin, who have three each.

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The inevitable happened Monday afternoon when the Buffalo Sabres fired GM Kevyn Adams, replacing him after more than five years on the job with senior advisor and former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen. There are legitimate questions as to whether it would be better to hire a permanent replacement for Adams in the next NHL off-season, but that’s another column for another day. 

In this file, we’re going to look at what areas Kekalainen needs to address to pull this Sabres team out of the basement of the Eastern Conference and back into the playoffs after what is almost assuredly going to be a 15-year Stanley Cup playoff drought. Here they are:

1. Settle The Goaltending Picture

If there’s one area the Sabres have depth in, it’s their netminding. With four NHL-caliber goaltenders – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, Colten Ellis and Devon Levi – Kekalainen has to pick a couple of them to build around, then deal at least one, if not two goalies.

As we saw with the Stuart Skinner/Tristan Jarry blockbuster trade, the netminding market is a seller’s market. And with few other teams ready, willing and able to peel off a goalie or two, Kekalainen needs to capitalize on his goaltending depth and convert the goalies he doesn’t want to build around into strengths in other areas. There’s no imminent rush to make a move, but if Buffalo finishes the year with all four goalies still in-house, that will represent a management failure.

2. Decide On A New Core Of Talent

Some may argue that the Sabres should still keep all of their core of talent together as the Kekalainen Era begins. But not this writer. For us, it’s well beyond time for Buffalo to make some material changes to their present and their future. And if that means trading a name-brand talent like, say, defenseman Owen Power or Tage Thompson, so be it.

If the definition of sports insanity is running it back year-in and year-out with the same group of talent that’s failed time and again and expecting different results, it’s easy to see what Kekalainen needs to do. He’s got to identify a new collection of players to build around, and chart a different course that Sabres fans can invest their time, money and emotions in. Kekalainen will have a honeymoon phase in the immediate weeks and months ahead, but he’ll squander that in short order if he doesn’t show why his way will work where Adams’ way continued to fail.

3. Make The Most Of The Future – One Way Or Another

The last thing most Sabres fans will want to hear from Kekalainen is a plea for patience. And it’s understandable why Buffalo fans will be looking for changes right away. Another drawn-out future is not going to cut it if there’s not a clear path forward. And considering that the Sabres have all three first-round draft picks in the next three seasons, they should easily be able to turn one of those picks into an NHL difference-maker.

Now, if Kekalainen says he’s not going to trade a first-rounder, Buffalo fans should be rightfully concerned about the team’s new management. In many ways, Adams had almost a trade paralysis late in his stint with the Sabres, and Kekalainen must show some courage in his direction for the team. He needs to take some calculated gambles that have a high upside. And believe us when we tell you that teams will be lining up to acquire a Sabres top pick. So long as they don’t continue to underwhelm for the foreseeable future, Buffalo should be prepared to do things differently as long as those different results will follow.

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One of the key points Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan has emphasized is the importance of mental fortitude and game management.

While it hasn't been 100 percent smooth sailing all season long, the results of Detroit's recently completed six-game road swing speak for themselves.

The Red Wings won four of their six straight games away from Little Caesars Arena, picking up nine of a possible 12 points and moving into a first-place tie with the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division through 33 games played.

At 18-12-3, it's a contrast to where they were at this point last season with a 13-16-4 record. 

Dylan Larkin, who is third overall in team scoring with 33 points, said he believes the team is showing added mental fortitude this season compared to previous years. 

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"I think in the Calgary game, this is going back days now, but I thought we were able to hold down the fort," he said following Monday's practice. "They had momentum, and they pushed, but we won the game. In the past, I feel like it would have gotten away from us, and then who knows how the rest of the trip would have gone?" 

"We've seemed to be able to do it all year, and I think it speaks to the guys in the room in being through it, and adding veterans that help us through it," he said. "And then goaltending, being able to solve a lot of problems." 

McLellan made it clear in Training Camp that for the Red Wings to take the next step, the battle “between the ears” matters just as much as anything on the ice.

Red Wings' Patrick Kane On The Verge of NHL History Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane is now two goals away from reaching 500, and nine points from passing Mike Modano for the most career points by an American-born NHL player.

"At Training Camp, we asked our group to get harder physically, mentally, and (in) game management," McLellan said. "Those are the three things we thought we needed to improve on. I'd say on our road trip, all three of those came into play. We weren't consistently good with all of them, but when it was all said and done, we did tap those areas. We got better in those areas."

Now that the Red Wings are back home, they can't afford to take their successful trip for granted, as there is still plenty of work ahead beginning with a matchup on Tuesday evening against the New York Islanders. 

"The trip is over, and it starts all over again," McLellan said. "We can't fall into that trap." 

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Over the offseason, Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman acquired goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks.

While Gibson's numbers during his first several games with Detroit weren't the best, he's now won five consecutive contests and posted a shutout twice in his last three starts, helping the Red Wings pick up multiple victories on their season-high six-game road swing.

After his second shutout in three games, Gibson has earned recognition from the NHL by being named one of their three stars of the week. 

LET'S GO, GIBBY ⭐️

He's the @NHL’s 2nd star of the week! pic.twitter.com/gsqMYPC6db

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 15, 2025

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“He’s confident," head coach Todd McLellan said of Gibson following the shutout win on Saturday evening over the Chicago Blackhawks. "The guys feel really good about playing around him. Less pucks coming off him, more whistles and very efficient. Just looks like Gibby.”

His shutout on Dec. 8 against the Vancouver Canucks was his first shutout since January 2023 while he was still a member of the Ducks; he turned aside all 39 shots he faced, including an opening period barrage. 

He followed that up with a 26-save shutout against the Blackhawks on Dec. 13, his 26th career shutout. Sandwiched in between those two was helping the Red Wings to a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Dec. 10. 

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ST. LOUIS -- In the latest of recalls from Springfield of the American Hockey League, the St. Louis Blues are dipping into their 2023 draft class once again.

In light of the injury to Dylan Holloway, who has a right high ankle sprain and will be reevaluated in six weeks, Otto Stenberg has been called up by the Blues late Monday afternoon.

Stenberg, 20, is one of three first round picks in the 2023 NHL Draft by the Blues, going at No. 25 behind Dalibor Dvorsky (No. 10) and Theo Lindstein (No. 29); he has eight points (three goals, five assists) in 21 games for the Thunderbirds this season after putting up 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 38 games there last season.

The Blues, who hosted the Nashville Predators on Monday night, have been hit by the injury bug in December, starting with Jimmy Snuggerud (wrist surgery), Alexey Toropchenko (leg burns), who returned to the lineup Monday, and Nathan Walker (upper body), Nick Bjugstad (upper body) and Jordan Kyrou (lower body).

The Blues will be in need of an extra forward and are currently employing Hugh McGing and Matt Luff as recent call-ups, plus signing Robby Fabbri, a 2014 first-round pick by the Blues, to a one-year, two-way contract last Wednesday.

With Stenberg's recall, it will give the Blues 13 healthy forwards with four more games before the Christmas break, including home games Wednesday and Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets and New York Rangers, respectively, followed by a two-game trip to play the Florida Panthers on Saturday and Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 22.

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With the Quinn Hughes trade complete, all eyes have turned to the assets the Vancouver Canucks acquired in the deal. The three players who came back in the deal are center Marco Rossi, defenceman Zeev Buium and winger Liam Öhgren. Vancouver also received a first-round pick in the upcoming draft. 

From a value standpoint, the Canucks did a good job adding key pieces to their future. Buium and Öhgren are both under 22 years old, while Rossi is a former top-10 pick who just turned 24. As for the draft pick, it is projected to be a late first-round pick as the Minnesota Wild are now one of the favourites in the Western Conference. 

When it comes to the three players acquired, the big question is, what are reasonable expectations for the rest of the season? While the playoffs are a long shot, the focus turns to development and seeing how impactful these three players may be in the future. Here are some reasonable expectations for Rossi, Buium and Öhgren during the 2025-26 season. 

Marco Rossi

The key question Rossi needs to answer is whether he can be Vancouver's long-term second-line center. His last two seasons have been impressive as he has 100 points in 164 games. As for this year, while he has missed time with an injury, he still has 13 points in 18 games, which equals out to a points percentage of 0.72. 

Rossi has also shown that he can be responsible in his own zone. This is key as the Canucks need to find a center who can take on some matchup roles without spending the entire time in the defensive zone. If Rossi can start winning matchups against the opposition frequently, it will go a long way in helping Vancouver establish a stronger top six. 

For Rossi, a reasonable expectation would be for him to show that he can be a second-line center who can win his matchup. He also needs to get his wingers going offensively while contributing on the power play. If Rossi can provide solid two-way play while contributing 30 points over the final 49 games, the Austrian center will have shown that he has the potential to be the Canucks second-line center moving forward. 

Zeev Buium

Buium is an exciting prospect who already has a multi-point game with Vancouver. The 20-year-old has a realistic shot of being a Calder finalist this year, as, based on Sunday, he could see extended time on the first power play unit this year. Adam Foote also has some experience working with him, which could help build the trust level between coach and player faster than most prospects. 

As the season continues, the focus for Buium needs to be on the defensive side of the game. This is not a criticism of his defensive work, but a fact about young defensemen, as it takes time to learn how to defend at the NHL level. This also includes his ability to defend against the rush, as Buium should be able to use his skating to at least slow down his opponent. 

While Buium is a high-end prospect, it is also important to remember that he is a rookie. Just like all rookies, he is going to make mistakes, but that is all part of the learning process. As for reasonable expectations, if Buium can continue to develop his defensive game while being able to facilitate offence on the power play, it will go a long way in showing that he can be a top-pair defender at the NHL level. 

Liam Öhgren

Öhgren is arguably the most intriguing piece in this deal. While Rossi and Buium will get the most attention, the 21-year-old winger could end up being a good surprise for Canucks fans. A solid combination of speed and strength, Öhgren already has built-in chemistry with Jonathan Lekkerimäki, as the two grew up together playing in Sweden. 

For Öhgren, the next step of his development is putting all his tools together at the NHL level. He has shown he can produce in the AHL, but that same scoring hasn't yet translated to the NHL. The good news is that he is trending upwards and, in recent games, has shown a willingness to get as many pucks towards the net as possible. 

How Vancouver manages Öhgren the rest of the season will be interesting. He may spend some time with the Abbotsford Canucks as he is waiver-exempt, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. When it comes to reasonable expectations, Öhgren needs to show that he can not only play in the system but also be difficult to play against on a nightly basis. 

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The Detroit Red Wings placed forward Jonatan Berggren on waivers Monday, a move that further underscored the lasting damage caused by the organization’s 2018 NHL Draft class and reinforced the growing belief that it stands as one of the worst drafts in franchise history.

Berggren, who was selected 33rd overall early in the second round, now appears likely to be claimed by another organization, which would make him the latest high draft pick from that class to leave Detroit without ever establishing himself as a meaningful long term contributor during a period when the Red Wings were in desperate need of young talent to anchor their rebuild.

Detroit entered the 2018 draft holding the sixth overall selection and used it on forward Filip Zadina, who had fallen out of the top five amid concerns regarding his overall projection that the Red Wings chose to overlook, a decision that became immediately controversial when defenseman Quinn Hughes was selected with the very next pick and went on to develop into one of the NHL’s premier blueliners.

The opportunity cost of that decision only deepened as other players available shortly after Detroit’s selection, including Evan Bouchard, Noah Dobson, and K’Andre Miller, each progressed into reliable and impactful NHL defensemen, while Zadina’s tenure in Detroit ultimately ended without him fulfilling the role of a top line scorer and eventually saw him return to Europe, where he now plays in the Swiss National League.

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Despite already missing on a franchise altering opportunity at the top of the draft, the Red Wings still possessed three more picks within the first 36 selections and used the 30th overall pick at the end of the first round to select center Joe Veleno before turning to Berggren at 33rd overall and defenseman Jared McIsaac three picks later at 36th overall.

None of those selections produced lasting value for the organization, as Berggren has now been placed on waivers, Veleno is currently with the Montreal Canadiens and on pace for just nine points this season, and McIsaac never appeared in an NHL game before continuing his professional career overseas in Slovakia.

The extent of Detroit’s missteps becomes even more glaring when examining the players selected shortly after those picks, as the second round alone featured future NHL regulars and impact contributors such as Kirill Marchenko, Alexander Romanov, Ryan McLeod, Kevin Bahl, Sean Durzi, Jack McBain, and Martin Fehérváry, all of whom were available when the Red Wings were making their selections.

Detroit’s difficulties continued into the third round, where the organization selected defenseman Alec Regula, who is currently working into the lineup as a seventh defenseman for the Edmonton Oilers, while players chosen later in the same round, including star goaltender Lukas Dostal and forward Jakub Lauko, have gone on to carve out more stable NHL roles.

In the fourth round, the Red Wings selected Ryan O’Reilly, a player not to be confused with the longtime NHL star of the same name, and while that selection failed to yield NHL results and currently sees O’Reilly playing in the ECHL, several players taken later in the round such as Martin Pospisil, Paul Cotter, and Philipp Kurashev have since become contributors at the NHL level.

Red Wings List Patrick Kane Day-to-Day, John Leonard Set For Major RoleThe Detroit Red Wings have listed veteran winger Patrick Kane as day-to-day while the recently called up John Leonard is expected to fill his spot in the second line.

The trend persisted throughout the remainder of the draft, which ultimately produced numerous star players and dependable role players across the league, yet Detroit emerged without a single piece or even a reliable long term contributor from a class in which they held four of the first 36 selections.

The cumulative result was a complete failure at one of the most critical moments of the organization’s rebuild, as the draft conducted under then general manager Ken Holland and director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright squandered premium assets and left the franchise with virtually no return on investment. That failure reverberated through the following seasons and contributed heavily to Detroit’s prolonged playoff drought, as the absence of impact talent from the 2018 class created a developmental void that stalled progress and forced the organization to rely on future drafts to compensate for lost time.

When Steve Yzerman took over as general manager the following season, he inherited a system that lacked meaningful contributions from the previous draft, yet in his first opportunity at the podium in 2019 he managed to reverse course by selecting Moritz Seider, Albert Johansson, and Elmer Söderblom, all of whom are currently playing in the Red Wings lineup.

Had Detroit managed to secure even one or two impact players from the 2018 draft, the trajectory of the rebuild could have been dramatically different by the time Yzerman arrived, but instead the franchise was left navigating the consequences of a draft class that provided no lasting benefit and now stands as a stark reminder of how costly missed evaluations can be at the highest level.

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Sitting in 28th place in the NHL with major injuries to several key players, the St. Louis Blues look like they'll continue to head in the wrong direction.

Not many things, if any, have gone right for the Blues. Nearly every player is on pace to put up lower goal and point totals than they did last season, and their goaltending has really struggled. The off-season moves haven't made the Blues any better, and now, 33 games into the season, the Blues are at risk of having to write it off. 

Almost every report made about the Blues highlights how they'll be sellers at the deadline, and the trading could come before that. 

Several players have been named by a plethora of reporters. Brayden Schenn, Justin Faulk, and Jordan Kyrou are the players garnering the most interest, but there can be calls about the availability of Jordan Binnington, Pavel Buchnevich and Colton Parayko. How eager the Blues are to make deals will determine whether they are dealt or not. 

If the Blues do become sellers, they would be committing to a bit of a mini rebuild. 

They've witnessed some of their latest first-round picks and top prospects graduate to the NHL, and although they aren't stars yet, they are on the right path. Jake Neighbours has continued to improve yearly, Jimmy Snuggerud was looking like an everyday NHLer before his injury, and Dalibor Dvorsky has taken advantage of injuries to solidify his spot in the NHL. 

Snuggerud and Dvorsky would love to see their production increase, but playing in the NHL is a great start. 

Additionally, the Blues front office likes what they have in Otto Stenberg, Theo Lindstein, Adam Jiricek and Justin Carbonneau. They might be a year or two away from playing in the NHL, but they are developing into possible important pieces of their future.

On the NHL roster, Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg and Robert Thomas are key contributors who the Blues see as present and future parts of their team.

That leaves several other players who could be expendable. The Blues project to land a top-five pick in a loaded draft. It's been quite a while since the Blues drafted a possible franchise player, and committing to a rebuild this season could put them in position to land players like Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, Keaton Verhoeff or Tynan Lawrence. 

No team wants to tank, but if injuries and losses continue to pile up, it might be their best option.

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