Former Seattle Kraken forward Daniel Sprong has signed a contract with KHL club CSKA Moscow.

Sprong's tenure with the Kraken was split into two, the first being a success where he set a career-high in goals (21) and points (46) in just 66 games. He leveraged his successful stint with the Kraken into a contract with the Detroit Red Wings, where he once again excelled. Upon conclusion of his one-year deal, he moved on, signing with the Vancouver Canucks, but he was unable to find the same success. 

After just nine games with the Canucks, he was traded back to the Kraken, but failed to regain his form, scoring a goal and an assist in 10 games. He was placed on waivers and spent the next 19 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds before he was dealt again at the deadline, this time to the New Jersey Devils.

The shortcomings continued, and he found himself in the press box during the playoffs for all but one game, signalling that it might be in his best interest to move away from the NHL.

The move to join CSKA Moscow is exactly that, signing his first European contract. 

Sprong is joining a CSKA Moscow team that is looking to revamp its roster after what it considers a disappointing season. The historic Russian club finished fifth in the Western Conference and lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Looking to bolster their roster, CSKA Moscow has signed Sprong, Nikolai Kovalenko, Rhett Gardiner, Denis Zerov and goaltender Spencer Martin this month, with Egor Sokolov being signed and traded away in the process. Additionally, the team has ex-NHLers Denis Guryanov, Nikita Nesterov, Nikita Okhotyuk, and Vladislav Kamenev under contract for the 2025-26 season.

A once-promising young, skilled winger has watched his NHL career slip away from him in the last year, but a successful stint in the KHL could earn his way back into the NHL, like many have done before him. 

Flashback Friday: Where Are They Now? Alexander WennbergDrafted in the first round (14th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Alexander Wennberg joined the Seattle Kraken as an unrestricted free agent on July 28th, 2021 after six seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets and a single season with the Florida Panthers. 

The New York Islanders are separating their dynamic duo of Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, per head coach Patrick Roy. 

That's the plan, at least. 

With Brock Nelson gone and Jean-Gabriel Pageau not being a true No. 2 center, moving Barzal back to his natural position seems more like a necessity. However, Barzal's game -- he likes to possess the puck and skate through the neutral zone -- fits the center mold.

However, former Islanders defenseman and MSG analyst Thomas Hickey thinks that Barzal should remain on the wing.

"Honestly, I like him as a winger more," Hickey said on Hockey Night in New York. "I think he likes playing center. I think he's a better player on the wing, I really do. Do I have a problem moving him to the middle like Patrick [Roy] is doing? No, and I understand why, right? Because now you can have two guys... I mean, Barzal was so dynamic, and Bo is just a really solid 1B center."

Sunday during “On the Line” brought to you by @tovihockeyy, @Thomas_Hickey14 gave his thoughts on the #Isles plan for Mat Barzal to move back to center.
Where do you think Barzal should play? Catch the full interview & show at https://t.co/EgKW82XlXJ#NHLpic.twitter.com/StP5avXUjI

— Hockey Night NY (@hockeynightny) July 24, 2025

The biggest takeaway is what Hickey said about Barzal's defensive game.

"I'm just wondering if that's going to translate if he's going back to center full time," Hickey said. "Are we going to see all those great plays that I saw of him stripping pucks and just being a smart forechecker and having a lot more detail in his own zone?"

As a center, Barzal was not the best away from the puck. However, when he was moved to Horvat's wing upon Bo's arrival in late January of 2023, Barzal seemed to learn a lot. 

Over the last two seasons, Barzal hasn't just cleaned things up; he has admitted to us in the media that he's actually having fun doing the little things, like backchecking and stripping opponents. 

In 2023-24, Barzal set a new career-high in takeaways, with 84. He recorded 70 back in 2019-20.

Now, one would think that Barzal has matured as a player, so there shouldn't be much deviation in his game. If anything, he may be a smarter center than ever before because of his time on the wing.

But for those that play center or just know the position, there's a lot more focus that Barzal has to have when it comes to all facets of the game. Yes, he'll be carrying the puck up a lot more rather than trying to get open. 

His first one-touch pass in the defensive zone to initiate a breakout, or his first few strides to create time and space, have to be sharp. But, defensively, he also needs to get back to being deeper in the defensive zone, below the dots rather than hovering the blue line waiting for a breakout pass. 

It's just a different game and a different mindst going from center to winger. 

While Barzal has been so sound defensively the last season and a half -- obviously, he missed significant time last season -- he did have Horvat to bail him out when need be, given his strong two-way game. 

As of now, we do not know who Barzal's linemates will be. In theory, if Calum Ritchie makes the team out of training camp as the third-line center, the Islanders could put Pageau on Barzal's wing.

The two can alternate face-offs, but also, Pageau can be that defensive mind that would allow Barzal to continue to have the offensive focus.

The one thing the Islanders don't want to see happen is, well, kinda what happened to Pageau when he came over from the Ottawa Senators at the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline. 

Pageau had 24 goals in 60 games before the trade, a 32.8 goal pace over 82 games. However, when he joined the Islanders, then head coach Barry Trotz had Pageau playing a defensive-minded role, a role he played almost to perfection. 

However, Pageau's offensive game was stifled as a result, only recently showcasing that he still has some offensive ability left.

Now, Barzal is a much more gifted offensive player than Pageau, and we didn't see his offensive game diminish as his defensive game grew. So, this shouldn't be a problem. 

However, as Hickey said, it's worth considering, since the Islanders will need to play a responsible brand of hockey if they want to make the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

PHOTO: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

On July 24th, 2021, there was a trade that absolutely no one saw coming: Cam Atkinson was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Jake Voráček .

Cam Atkinson, the 6th-round pick out of Connecticut, was a fan favorite and a CBJ legend so far in his Columbus Career. After the 20-21 season, he had played 10 years and 627 games as a Blue Jacket. In those 10 seasons, he would go on to score 213 goals, which puts him second all-time behind Rick Nash. His 189 assists have him 4th on the all-time CBJ list, and he had 402 points, which is also second all-time. He scored 42 power-play goals and chipped in 16 short-handed goals. His 16 shorties sit him atop the CBJ record books. 

Jake Voráček was originally drafted by the Blue Jackets in 2007, going 7th overall. After being drafted, Voráček would go back to Junior for one more season before making his NHL debut in 2008. In his first stint with Columbus, he played three full seasons, only missing 5 games over those three seasons. He scored 39 goals and had 134 points. And then June 23rd happened, a day that almost all Columbus fans will remember. GM Scott Howson, in an attempt to try to keep Rick Nash in Columbus, traded Jake Voráček and two draft picks to the Flyers for Jeff Carter. That was arguably the worst trade in team history. Carter didn’t want to come to Columbus, and Rick Nash would be traded about a year later. Jake Voráček would go on to play 727 games as a Flyer, scoring 177 goals and totaling 604 points.

When Voráček was traded back to Columbus, Atkinson fans were livid. How could they trade a franchise icon? People were left wondering why? Voráček made around $3 million more per year than Atkinson, too. Fans were puzzled. This was a pure hockey 1-for-1 trade. The Jackets needed a more versatile player who could be a playmaker, which is Voráček. And the Flyers got a pure scorer. Jake Voráček embraced the move, came to Columbus, and had a great year. He would play in 79 games, score 6 goals, and have 56 assists. His 56 assists were three off the single-season record of 59, set by Artemi Panarin in 2018-19. He would only play in 11 games in 2022-23 due to concussion issues. November 4th, 2022, would be the last game he would play in Union Blue. He would suffer a concussion against the Avalanche while playing at the NHL Global Series in Finland. On March 2nd of 2023. The Jackets traded Voráček and a pick to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for goalie Jon Gilles. The Jake Voráček era in Columbus had come to an end for the second time.

In April of 2024, Voráček would announce his retirement from professional hockey. He would score 806 points in 1058 career games. 

Cam Atkinson, played last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He played in 39 games and had 9 points. He currently does not have a contract in place, and it's unknown what his future plans are. Atkinson has 489 points in 809 career games. 402 of those points came as a Blue Jacket. 

I do believe this trade worked out well for both teams.

This trade shook the fanbase when it happened, but they cooled off once they saw Voráček having a good year. It was a good hockey trade at the time.

Let us know what you think below.

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Matthew Knies won't go as far as saying the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights will be rivals after Mitch Marner joined their organization.

The 22-year-old appeared on the Morning Cuppa Hockey podcast with Jonny Lazarus on Wednesday, sharing his thoughts on the upcoming season, his time with the Maple Leafs, and what it'll be like to face Marner when Toronto rolls into Vegas on January 15.

Marner was dealt to the Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade on June 30. He inked an eight-year, $96 million contract with Toronto before being shipped to Vegas for center Nicolas Roy.

"I don't know if it's going to be a rivalry," Knies said.

"I love the guy. He did a lot for me in his two years here. He made me so comfortable, made me a better player, better person. I don't think it's a rivalry. You know, obviously, I want to beat him, but I think it's just business as usual."

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Knies is coming off a career year where 58 points (29 goals and 29 assists) in 78 games, plus seven points in 13 playoff games. He scored five goals through two rounds, tied for the second-most alongside John Tavares.

The Phoenix, Arizona-born forward signed a massive six-year, $46.5 million contract on July 1 with the Maple Leafs. The deal, which carries an annual average value of $7.75 million, is the third-highest AAV on the team, only behind William Nylander and Auston Matthews.

Maple Leafs Honor Rock Legend Ozzy Osbourne, The NHL’s Most Unexpected Hockey FanOn Tuesday, the world mourned as Ozzy Osbourne, the iconic frontman of Black Sabbath, passed away at age 76. Osbourne, who had been dealing with several health issues in recent years, including Parkinson’s disease, had performed in Birmingham, England, where he reunited with Black Sabbath in a performance dubbed his “final show”.

Knies has spent the majority of his time in Toronto playing alongside Matthews and Marner on Toronto's top line. The young forward added that he'll be excited to see Marner again and be able to talk with him when the two teams face off in January.

"I think maybe off the ice it'll be nice to chat with him and get to say hi. I haven't seen him in quite a bit with the summer now, and obviously we're not going to be on the same team during the year. Just getting to chat with him a little bit would be cool."

After playing in Vegas on January 15, the two teams will face each other again in Toronto on January 23. It'll be the only time Marner will play in his hometown next season. Expect that matchup to be circled on a lot of people's calendars.

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Marner has spent all nine NHL seasons with the Maple Leafs, scoring 741 points (221 goals and 520 assists) in 657 games. The 28-year-old is fifth all-time on the franchise's points list, fourth in assists, and fifth in Toronto's all-time playoff points (63 points in 70 postseason games).

This article originally appeared on The Hockey News: Maple Leafs’ Matthew Knies Grateful For Mitch Marner’s Guidance, Won’t Call Games Against Golden Knights ‘A Rivalry’

(Top photo of Knies and Marner: John E. Sokolowski / Imagn Images)